The Way Things Go
by Guardian Saturn
Summary: Memories and experiences is all they ever have. Reapers come and go and that's life. Life after Season 2, GM and RubeOC, all's explained inside...
1. Prologue

The Way Things Go

Disclaimer: (I always forget these!) I do not own Dead Like Me or the characters in it (though I really wish I did).

I'm probably going to use this page for the summaries of chapters and whatnot. It'll be easier than trying to fit them in one the pages so be sure to check here for Author's Notes and whathaveyou when I make a note on the story.

This story is rated for language (It's Dead Like Me, there HAS to be language) and probably adult themes later on in the series though there's going to be plenty of fluff I'm sure… I'm good at that for some reason.

Most of the Story will be done in Omnipresent POV, but if it's anything major I'll have a character POV, but only if it's a real big thing to them.

This is set after the end of the second season (aren't they all?) and it's not another season per say, just as every chapter isn't an episode. This is just another year or however long it runs in the lives of the Reapers. I plan to have it more Rube, Mason, and George- centric because I don't think Mason and Rube got enough of a storyline in the other two seasons and that made me kind of upset. There may be some slight Daisy bashing but nothing too bad. It's going to be a GeorgeXMason pairing and a RubeXOC pairing. I know, I hate other characters but it's done in good taste… I hope. Roxy will have about the same role, the motherly type and I hope to get her a pretty good story in here if I can find one. Daisy too, but nothing's really jumped out at me yet.

UPDATE: I finally got my plans for Roxy and Daisy, go me! It only took staring at a bag of popcorn in the microwave to get it too!

UPDATE: I just got moved into the dorm so it may be a few days before my next post, guys. I'll try and post a few chapters a week instead of one a night. I know, I know…but you'll get a nice bulk to read no, huh?

A/N / UPDATE: I've been wondering if anyone wants to partake in a Dead Like Me rpg. I posted the link to my livejournal if you have one and would like to comment. I've done some digging on the subject and all of the DLM rpgs are from 2005 or earlier and are inactive and I'd love to get one started with any of you who read this. If you're interested please comment on this story or go straight to the community page: http://community. how the POVs are going to work-

George- GPOV

Mason- MPOV

Daisy- DPOV

Rube- RPOV

Roxy- RXPOV

Rosslyn- ROPOV

Omnipresent- OPOV

I should put their full name if the whole chapter is going to be in one POV, but if it changes I'll put one of those in.

Summaries:

Chapter One: A Typical Seattle morning for the reapers suddenly takes an odd turn when a young woman comes to Der Waffle House looking for "a friend". Rube sits and talks with someone he's known for years. (OPOV)

Chapter Two: George reflects during a morning at Happy Time and Mason and Daisy have their first real conversation in months. (GPOV, OPOV)

Chapter Three: Rube comes home to find a note on his door from the mysterious "Ros". (RPOV)

Chapter Four: Rosslyn prepares for her meeting with Rube, only it turns out to be not quite what they were expecting. The bottle almost gets to Mason for what he thinks will be the final time (MUCHO Angst!), can he overcome or will be back to the same old Mason The Fuck-Up for him?(POV Switches)

Chapter Five: Rube takes Rosslyn back to his apartment after they leave the cemetery to treat her mysterious wounds where they talk of his life and their past encounters. Warnings: nudity for medicine's sake (IE- if that bugs you don't flame me because I'll only use them to keep me warm in winter while I'm in school).Lots of Rube angst, some spoilers for season 2, and I've gone and made up a few things about his past. (so again, please don't get angry over it.) Fighting and even some fluff…kind of. (ROPOV)

Chapter Six: Morning awkwardness as a sixth reaper is introduced. George goes to work to find a parcel with her name on it, and Rube hunts down Penny for the scoop as to the real intentions of Ros' visit only to discover a few things about himself. (OPOV and GPOV)

Chapter Seven: After coming home from work George decides to pay Mason back for the gift he'd given her. Major MAJOR George-Mason fluff, (A/N: This is probably the fluffiest thing I've ever written…it's practically cotton candy) so GM lovers enjoy!!! (OPOV)

Chapter Eight: Rube's insomnia after the past few days finally gets to him and he recalls some difficult memories from his life. Roxy has another run-in with William Garrett at the airport and things take an interesting turn, and George and Mason are sent out on a road trip to hunt for their reaps. It's getting close to Valentine's Day for the reapers and everyone's on edge for the busy season, but what kind of "busy" are we talking about here? (Rube POV, OPOV)

Chapter Nine: It's Valentine's Day and there's romance afoot with the reapers (A/N: that just means I'm really too lazy to type out a whole summary) complete with songs, dinner and maybe even a few symbols of affection? (POV switches)

Chapter Ten: It's a week after Valentine's Day and Rube is ignoring Rosslyn. Daisy and the reapers become curious as to their new group member's duties when she shows up at breakfast wielding some battle scars and Daisy tails her to a reap only to find a truly odd secret.(OPOV, ROPOV and RPOV)

Chapter Eleven: George and Mason have a day on the town to try and get George to relax. Mason's reap really gets to him, making him come home with a little more than just watching TV on his mind. (OPOV, MPOV)

Chapter Twelve: Rosslyn's been staying with Rube for a while and as they share a normal night together he recalls some old memories. As they get ready to go to bed they talk and he finally comes to terms with everything going on in his head for the past 20 years. There's even a little bit on Rosslyn, her past, Rube's past and a window into their future…? (RPOV)

Chapter Thirteen: A visit to Happy Time from Rube gets Delores thinking. A group reap also gives Mason the chance to look his best. (OPOV)

Chapter Fourteen: Roxy and William seem to be going along quite well until a slip of the tongue prompts questions to Roxy's past. (OPOV)

Chapter Fifteen: Word of what Daisy saw that night spreads and the group feels threatened. Does Rosslyn have a secret that might have cause for the reapers to be afraid? (OPOV)

Chapter Sixteen: After the commotion with the group Rosslyn is alone and trying to figure things out. Will things with Rube be jeopardized because of an ailing soul or will it be the last tie needed to bring them together? Rosslyn angst and a little fluff…maybe? (ROPOV)

Chapter Seventeen: Rosslyn does show up at Rube's door as he advised her. Will they finally stop beating around the bush and admit their feelings or will it just end up being nothing at all? Also, as questions about Roxy's past plagues him, William decides to maybe do a little research. Lotsa fluff. (RPOV, OPOV)

Chapter Eighteen: After a date Mason and George come home to spend an evening together. Mature….stuff. (Yeah, that's right, "mature stuff". So if you're not old enough or some George-Mason-y goodness offends you…get the heck over it and enjoy it!) (Switches between MPOV and GPOV)

Chapter Nineteen: Rosslyn finally decides to face the group with her secrets. Is she the monster they all claim to be? (OPOV, ROPOV)

Chapter Twenty: After an incident with William Roxy finds Rube and Rosslyn tot try and calm herself down. Is something strange afoot or does Roxy just have a bad taste in guys? Also, Daisy muses about the possibilities of George and Mason's relationship…is she having second thoughts about Mason? (OPOV)

Chapter Twenty-One: Rube has Roxy invite William to Der Waffle Haus as a safety precaution which prompts Ros to almost go into fits. Meanwhile, Daisy plots to get Mason back on her side with a heinous idea in the works. (OPOV)

Chapter Twenty-Two: After taking Roxy home Rube and Rosslyn receive a note from 'management'. Is it perhaps a way for her to become a permanent fixture, or will it completely screws up everything they've worked for? Also, I don't own the lyrics to the song Rube sings to her…it's Celtic Woman's "May It Be." (Switches between Rube and Ros POV)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Days after Rosslyn's departure Rube's in a bad mood and Mason decides it's time to sit down one-on-one with his boss and really talk. (MPOV,OPOV)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Daisy finally gets her wish, plain and simple. Is it the proverbial end for our two favorite reapers or will everything come out the way I'm sure our readers want? (A/N: Sorry for the long awaited update, guys but I've had some, err, rather pressing issues to attend to and I haven't exactly been in the mood nor had time to sit down and write. But! I have discovered the library and all its quiet wonderment. SO! I think I'll use it as my place to sit and write from now on.) (OPOV, MPOV, GPOV…I think that's it.)

Chapter Twenty-Five: After a long week Rosslyn muses about her being away and the effects it's having on her and everyone back home. Strange dreams prompt odd thoughts and a mysterious text message from "Management" gets her wondering.


	2. A Visit For Rube

Chapter One: A Visit For Rube

It was nothing more than a regular day in the northwest. The rain came down steadily on the grey, dismal February morning granting with it the promise of colds, the flu and maybe even a car accident or two. The only shining light, or so it seemed, was the neon radiating in an electric hum from the sign of Der Waffle Haus as it had every morning.

The streets were shiny and slick which made her steady walk slightly swayed and irregular, the stiletto heels clicking on the pavement as she looked at the restaurant from the distance of the city block. It had been way too long since she'd been inside those walls, years it must be by now. Even standing so close gave her a feeling of home, something that Boston never gave her. There it was, steady and true as always with no doubt the same wait staff and customers that filled the vinyl booths every day. A gust of wet wind lifted the auburn curls from her collar and she swept them away, tugging her scarf closer to keep the rain from going down her neck. Damn west coast weather, it always had to rain, always.

The now not-so-sure footfalls brought the tall figure closer to the well lit restaurant and she looked up at its roof with a face full of reverence. Her heartbeat thudded to life and into a free-for-all drum line chorus that made her chest hurt like crazy. Yeah, she was definitely home.

Through the huge picture windows she saw The Booth. It hadn't changed, still the one in the back in the center by the counter. Rose tinted lips pursed as she saw the group that lingered in that booth. True, some of the faces had changed since her last visit but at least two remained the same. A smile crossed her face as she wandered closer, eyes still locked on the group and she hardly noticed as she bumped into a man coming out of the doors.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention." She offered and backed away suddenly.

"Damn kid… pay the fuck attention to what you're doing. You want to get killed or what?" the man shouted and stalked off to what had to be a 'rewarding' job in an office building.

A few blinks later she turned and smoothed one hand over her black trench, letting the water slide off on to the welcome mat. A fluff of her hair with two nervous hands meant she was set to go in. Why was this so hard? This wasn't anything to be freaked out over, was it? She was coming in for a visit that was all. That was ALL.

The jangling of the bell over the door sounded her entrance and it felt as though every eye lifted to see her walk in. Even the waitresses stopped to see her lick her lips and head for the back, her feet hesitating as her eyes locked with the divider that kept her out of view from The Booth.

_ I can do this… This isn't anything to be tweaking over. It's just them. _And she made her way to the back. Four pairs of eyes looked up at her as she rounded the corner and took a few steps toward them. Two pairs cocked an eyebrow, two others shifted back and forth in confusion at her approach.

"Hi, I was looking for someone maybe you could-"she started and was immediately cut off by Kiffany.

"Oh my god! I think I'm seeing a ghost! What are you doing here?" the large black woman exclaimed as she put down the coffee pot and hugged the girl to her.

"- help me. I came for a visit, Kiffany." She finished and hugged back, a feeling of happiness fluttering up as the sight of a truly familiar face lit up her heart.

"You just up and left without saying anything. I was worried something had happened to you. Where have you been, child?"

"I'm working in Boston now. I got transferred short notice so I only had, like, a day or so to pack." She explained and slid the scarf off of her neck.

"Want anything?" the waitress asked and her eyes went straight to the pot of coffee.

"Coffee. Just coffee."

The waitress nodded and left for the counter in search of a cup. That left her to the gaze of the four people sitting in the booth who had, no doubt, a question or two as to how Kiffany knew her so well. Damn. Their 'fearless leader' wasn't there yet. Here it was almost 7:30; normally he'd be sitting leaned against the divider by now with a plate of eggs in front of him. Still, things had been off as of late. Hell, she didn't even live here and she could figure that out.

Her slender form took the booth beside theirs as Kiffany brought the coffee and a hundred and one questions as to how she'd been and what she was doing. White lies about a job in an advertising office passed her lips with ease from her extensive use of them. That was her 'life': a successful business woman who moved from place to place whenever her job was done. Well, that was half true. She did move from place to place when her job was done. The coffee was rich and fragrant, almost unlike any diner coffee she'd had since she left. Yes, this was home alright. The familiar yodeling music made her smile as she sank back into the vinyl covering and locked eyes with the young man sitting in The Booth. He looked at her for a moment before speaking in hushed whispers with the rest of them. Oh yeah, this would definitely be interesting.

The bell jangled to life again and this time her mark entered. The tall, stately man made his way to the back, the short black hair the same as always and those dark, brooding eyes sweeping the room before sitting down. The group talked for a moment before she took a breath and made a move to stand. She couldn't. Her legs were suddenly grape jelly and refused to make any sort of commitment to movement. _Fuck…_

All at once Kiffany came bustling up to their table wielding the ticket book and a pot of coffee. A worried look passed her face and she knew this wasn't going to be good for her anonymity. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Shit. Damn._ She jumped up from the table, hoping to and succeeding in avoiding Kiffany's gaze, and ran around the corner of booths to slink into another and slide down as far as she could in the seat.

"Hey, Rube. You didn't tell me Ros was back in town for a visit." The waitress quipped as she flipped the pages of the ticket book open to a blank one.

Dark eyes shaded over with confusion, "Ros is back in town for a visit? Since when? You gettin' enough sleep there, Kiff?"

"No, I saw her just a couple of minutes before you came in. She's sitting in the booth right there." She answered and turn to point but found only the empty booth with the coffee cup sitting alone.

_ Damn it._ She cursed to herself as she rested her forehead against the faux wood tabletop. It was out of the bag now. That coffee cup didn't get a table for itself, did it? Maybe she should head over there and make Kiffany stop questioning her sanity so early in the morning. No, she wanted to catch him alone. Everyone there would only serve the asking of too many questions.

"She's right, you know. Some girl came in and Kiffany was hugging on her. She said she was looking for a friend." A British accent added.

"I think you're all nuts. And I'll have the Johnny Vegas with the bacon extra extra extra crispy with a lemonade, Kiff." The smooth older man's voice said and waited until their waitress was out of earshot, "Alright, kids, read 'em and reap. There's work to be done." As the Post-Its were handed out to the rest of the patrons of the booth.

"Um, excuse me, this one is on the bad side of town and I don't go there." A voice like that of a southern bell sounded.

"You'll go and you'll like it, princess, any other complaints?" the same smooth voice asked.

There was a silence that inevitably mean 'no' as the group set to eat. She closed her eyes in attempt to try and block it all out. Why did she come back? What could she possibly do? What could her presence here really do?

After a few minutes the taller man straightened up, "Alright guys, three and two bits each. Now get out of my sight I want some alone time." There was some murmuring as the sound of people shifted and she popped up, struggling to get to her feet as the group started to leave. She brushed the shoulder of a woman in a police uniform. Roxy. She hadn't changed at all, but when did she become a cop? There was another girl, a little blonde one. No more than eighteen years if that passed her with an odd glance followed by a taller platinum blonde. Probably the 'princess' she heard earlier. Finally there was the younger man lingering at the table. The Brit. Mason. She had fallen in love with the impish twenty-something on her last visit home. He reminded her so much of a cousin and that made her smile.

"Holy shit, Kiffany was right. It is you." The younger man smiled and opened his arms to her smaller form.

He was warm and smelled of soap and cologne rather than his usual Jack and cocaine mixture of years past,"I didn't want to see everyone, just my two favorites." She said and hugged him back.

The taller man hadn't moved from the booth and Mason leaned down to her ear, "he's in a bit of a foul mood so I'd be nice if I were you." She nodded and gave him a light push to send him on his way before sliding across from her mark.

"So what're you doin' here, anyway?"

"Nice to see you too, Rube, Jesus I thought you might be happy to see me." She rolled her eyes and rested her chin on one hand and looked into his face.

"I am happy to see you, Rosslyn, but I want to know why you're here." Rube answered flatly, poking at his eggs with a fork.

She hesitated and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes before a strong hand reached out to grab one of her wrists. Her voice suddenly faded as she locked eyes with her old friend, "I heard about Rosie." Was all she said.

Rube nodded and let go of her wrist, going back to eating. He didn't say anything for a long time and her heart started that pounding drum beat again as she looked on with the fear that she had done something wrong.

"How'd you find out?"

She blinked and took a breath, "Penny… told me. She said you saw her before it happened. I wanted to…come and… and…"she faltered.

"Come and what? Pay your respects? What? You never come back here unless you're dyin' or something's up and you look fucking fine to me." he asked in that calm-but-bordering-on-raging-anger voice.

"I came home to see you." She blurted out and glared at him with the practiced stare she'd given him over many a year.

He gave her an even look before shrugging, "I'm fine. Leave it at that." He said in a 'that's the end of the conversation' tone of voice so she fell silent.

"F-fine." She stammered and started to pull the scarf around her neck.

"You stayin' a while or leaving after only a quick 'what's up?' ?" he asked.

"I can stay awhile. They know I'm here so I might be on your list in the morning for a reap." She answered, stopped in the middle of winding the scarf around her neck.

He scribbled something down on a Post-It and gave it to her, "Go there. They'll let you stay."

She took it and nodded, before giving him a look and leaving.


	3. An Awkward Moment

Chapter 2: An Awkward Moment

George POV

It was bound to be a day full of questions. Who was that girl that had shown up at breakfast this morning? I'd run into her shoulder as she passed me and looked at me with something weird in her eyes. I'd seen that look before from someone, but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. Maybe my mother once upon a time had looked at me like that, or Roxy or Daisy.

The office building that housed Happy Time loomed in front of my red convertible with it's sleek hood and the ragtop pulled on to keep my "trendy" work clothes from getting soaked in the winter rain. It seemed to laugh at me, nay, laugh at Millie as she pulled in for another day of pointless, repetitive tasks and meaningless small talk from co workers. You just had to love the monotony.

It had only been two months into the New Year and Delores had already made the shift from chipper Santa's and Christmas trees to smiling hearts hanging from every possible space in the office. It looked like cupid dropped a load into his diaper and it reeked of love and candy. I think St. Valentine really would have caused a massacre if he'd seen this… and it was bound to make me gag.

"Morning, Crystal." I called absently as I walked past the reception desk.

The rather odd woman looked up from her paperwork and waved to me before going back to reading whatever it was she was reading and left me to wind my way to my cubicle. I groaned to myself as I saw one of the carpeted walls covered in hanging paper lace with festive words in pink and red clashing horribly with the lilac background. 'Twas the season that made you want to strangle Delores with a chocolate heart, but that would be tacky and would probably get me fired. I weighed my options.

"Oh, Millie! I was hoping to catch you as you came in. I wanted to tell you that Steve from IS is leaving and we're planning a little goodbye party. Think you could make a few calls for me while I get started on the arrangements?" that was Delores no doubt concocting another fiesta for the departure of a random employee.

"Sure, of course I-"I started as my boss thrust a huge stack of papers into my arms.

_ A few calls my ass._ I stared down at the pile then up at her with a pleading face. Not this early in the morning. Let me get in, grab some coffee, twirl around in my chair for a while, rinse and repeat before any of this crap had to get done.

"All the names are right beside the numbers and they're in priority order. Every company under our contract needs at least four new temps in their office by Wednesday and I told them I'd have it started by nine thirty this morning. Can you believe we had so many quit in the last couple of days, I can't. You know, Millie, when I was a temp I never just up and quit. I always waited until they had just the right person in mind for my job before I gave them the proverbial finger." Delores rambled as I put the huge pile down and mentally ran through any and all of my excuses that hadn't been used to death to get me out of this.

"I couldn't tell you, Delores, but I was wondering-"again I was cut off as the older woman smiled at me with a very motherly air and patted my shoulder.

"I hope you liked the decorations I put up in your workspace, it was starting to look a little sparse again so I thought I'd cheer it right up!" and she promptly turned and walked away.

I stared after her with a 'someone-just-kicked-my-dog" look and flopped down into my chair, not bothering to shrug out of my blue trench and set to work. It was definitely going to be a long day. And with a reap on my lunch hour, excuse me, thirty-five minutes, I was bound to be tired, grouchy and bloody. Isn't corporate America great?

Lunch couldn't have come soon enough to me that morning. Four hours of calling listless temps begging for someone to take a job from us in hopes to make our quota for the forty-some odd companies that relied on us to find the unfortunate filers, data entry workers, and envelope stuffers. I wondered quietly to myself as I strode out of Happy Time in search of something to put in my stomach if maybe I had been sent somewhere else that I wouldn't have died. If maybe my mother hadn't put in a word to Delores than I might have been spending that morning in a receptionist's chair rather than in The Pit then getting hit by that damn toilet seat.

I made my way down to the middle of the business district. Traffic was bumper to bumper as it always was this time of day and I peered out across the wet, grey road to see a man leaning against a street sign. He didn't look like his day was going any better than mine was; only I seemed to be handling it just a little bit better. His shiny hair was falling from its part across his head as he slumped against the pole and stared up at the traffic light. I made my way up quietly behind him and pretended to search in my purse for something as his glazed-over eyes were still locked on the lights. I sauntered up to him and tapped his shoulder lightly, "uh, excuse me, do you have the correct time?" I asked, not really knowing what else to say. This had to be him.

"Twelve forty." He didn't look away from the traffic light.

"Thanks. Um, why are you looking up at the light like that?" I asked, pulling my hand from my pocket and ran it through my hair.

"None of your fucking business." He answered and I took a step back, almost tripping on his briefcase which tipped over to reveal an engraved clasp.

B. White was the name on the briefcase and I snuck a look at my Post-It from earlier this morning. That was it. Game over. I reached out and brushed a hand over his back as the light changed and cars sped up to try and get somewhere for the lunch rush. My reap charged out in front of the cars and was plowed on one side by a white SUV. I cringed and turned my head away, the sickening sound of his body hitting the hood echoing over the honk of horns and shouts of impatient workers trying to get anywhere important.

The traffic stopped and the driver of the SUV ran out to crouch by the man's broken body. I felt a shimmer of movement to my right and caught sight of his soul standing there looking as sour and stressed as he had when I'd talked to him not a minute before. "The hell am I?" he asked and turned to look at me.

"You're dead." I said flatly, not wanting to waste what little time I had left of my lunch babysitting this asshole.

"Then why am I still standing here? Shouldn't I be in heaven or hell or something?" he asked only to be met with the response of me giving him the most bored look I could muster and him staring off into a whirling batch of lights ahead of him. Thank god.

"Is that?" he asked, the asshole air gone from him and replaced with wonder.

"Whatever. It's yours." I answered and turned as he went running toward whatever it was that was waiting for him.

I made it back to Happy Time with a bag of fast food tucked under my arm and a cautious glance around me to try and hide the fact that I'd looked like I wasted my whole lunch time. Completely untrue. And if I had the power I'd tell them that I'd just performed the gracious service of escorting a guy's soul to the Great Beyond or whatever the hell it was. Yeah, I had to stand in line at Subway because some puissant kid couldn't listen to his mom about putting veggies other than mustard on his sandwich.

OPOV

It was still early, the sun was still up and he had no desire to go back to sleep. The insomnia was bad enough already and napping all afternoon wasn't going to help matters. His tousled brown hair stood up in all directions from the pillow and when he managed to uncurl himself he felt the twinges of soreness from not moving during his six hour siesta. The scruffy permanent five o'clock shadow bristled against the pillowcase as he moved and stared at the digital clock beside the bed. Three thirty. George wouldn't be home for another hour an a half and he wasn't completely sure if Daisy was home anyway. He was alone for all intensive purposes and that suited him fine for the moment as she sat up and made his way downstairs.

Mason's eyes blearily scanned the kitchen as he made his way down the stairs. It was quiet and it seemed as though he was by himself. That wasn't bad but he'd woken up with a knot in his stomach. Ever since this morning he'd been uneasy and he wasn't sure why. Sure, his reap had gone fine, for him anyway. It had been a violent murder, someone apparently hadn't paid off some money and it was time to own up. Thank god he'd never had to deal with that.

He flicked on the TV and settled into one of the large arm chairs George had bought that Christmas and leaned his head on one arm. Nothing was on; as was the staple of daytime television. It was times like this when he wished George would come home early or that Daisy would come strolling in with a shopping bag or something and ramble on about her day. No such luck though and he settled for some show on Discovery but nothing really sank in as his mind wandered.

He'd been living with the girls for about four months now and neither one of them made any attempt at a gesture for him to move out. He liked that about them; they never made it seem as though he was freeloading off of them, "couch surfing" as George had called it when she'd just started and had asked for help finding a place of her own. The living had been easy; George and Mason paid for most of the bills while Daisy would offer up every once in a while when it was really necessary. Neither he nor George knew where her little stash was because she always seemed to have money, and lots of it, all the time. He smiled to himself as he pictured her crying to those famous blokes she'd blown in years passed begging for a handout then putting it all in a bank account so the interest could pile up. She was smarter than she appeared and he was willing to bet that was how it played out.

He was tired. He was always tired. It was the booze and drugs that sucked him dry of energy. Rather, for the last couple of weeks it was the lack of booze and drugs that zapped him dry. He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't do any of that shit under the girls' roof while he was still there. It wasn't fair to them to have to see him when he was at his worst reeling from a bad trip or jonesin' for a fix. No, he'd been clean for almost three weeks and it was killing him. It was killing his sleep patterns and his appetite. He knew he looked horrible but at least a regular shower every day helped a bit to make it not so obvious. Daisy had even commented that he looked bad earlier that day as he went up to George's room to sleep and that surprised him. Normally she never noticed anything like that.

Another glance at the clock and it read four o'clock. Another hour and he'd have some company. It wasn't that he didn't like Daisy anymore; it was just that ever since that incident where he thought he was going to cross over or some shit and the whole ring thing with her they kind of avoided each other and only talked when necessary. It was kind of like this endless silence between them and that hurt. The ring was for her out of the kindness of his heart, not to mention his wallet, and she ignored him. That was when he realized George's company.

Ever since that same night that he'd come to stay with them he'd noticed that George wasn't the quiet little thing who liked to piss Rube off. Sure, he'd always liked her and thought she was a pretty girl, but it wasn't until he thought he might not see her again that it hit him that she meant more to him than that. He'd gone to her office and made this long speech about not living on the periphery and really enjoying this un-life. She'd looked at him with confusion and he'd even shocked himself when he kissed her and told her he loved her. He'd convinced himself that he meant it as a brother-sister thing, but when he'd fallen asleep on the couch with her sitting next to him that night he knew that wasn't the case at all.

"Mason?" asked a sweet voice, Daisy.

He turned, jarred from his thoughts as the tall blonde set down her bags and walked over to the chair. She was dressed to the nines with her perfect curls falling in her eyes as she cocked her head to one side and sat down on the overstuffed ottoman before him. Mason's eyes locked on hers for a moment then moved downward to catch a glimpse of the diamond ring on a chain around her neck. She wore it, at least, that had to be something.

"I was just wondering what you were doing… you've seemed not yourself the last couple of days." Daisy offered and leaned in, seeming to make a genuine attempt to talk to him.

_ Bloody hell, is she really worried about me? Do I look that bad?_ He blinked a few times and looked at the actress, his Leading Lady. A small smile passed his thin lips and he shook his head, "I'm fine, love, just tired." He said, the accent making her smile as she nodded but didn't move. _Christ… something's wrong._

"I wanted to ask you something, Mason, while Georgia isn't around. I didn't want her to get all angry at me." Daisy started, laying a hand on Mason's leg.

_ Fuck, she's going to kick me out._ He sat up and looked at her, "What, Daisy?"

"Okay, I know that we haven't really talked and all since… well, you know," her hand went to the ring around her neck as it often did when she was nervous about something, "and I just wanted to tell you that I understand, but it's never going to happen."

Mason's eyebrows lifted in surprise and confusion. It wasn't an eviction notice, nor was it the compassionate conversation opener that he'd kind of been hoping for. He was left staring at her, his gaze going from the ring back to her face, "what… do you mean by that?"

Daisy's eyes shifted from the compassionate friend to the self loving bitch she usually was and he cringed inwardly knowing what was probably about to come next. His mouth opened to try and stop it but nothing came out and he fell back, awaiting the inevitable self rant that was about to head his way.

"Oh come on, Mason, you know what I mean. The ring… you wanting to move in… how you still love me and all after what happened to Ray? You're still in love with me and wanted to give me the ring in hopes that over the time of you living here I would fall for you. Don't get me wrong, I love you to death but I want you to understand that it's never going to happen."

Mason rolled his eyes; it was pointless to fight with her. Only when he was near tears or they were ass deep in trouble would she listen to anything. So, he did what they always did when she was so far into her delusions: he agreed with her.

"You're right. It is pointless. But I wanted to make you happy, Daisy, and I hope I did. Now can we drop it please?" he wanted her to go away, she was making him want to drink and that wasn't good.

A pale hand squeezed his knee and she stood up, going upstairs. _Fuck…me; this makes me want a pint._ He put his head in his hands and sighed to himself. Again that voice in his mind that drove him to the bottle started up again screaming about how he just lost one of the best things out there and that he should drown his sorrows. No, not tonight. And he went back to the TV, determined to keep his mind focused elsewhere.

Five rolled around much too slowly for him. It was early in the year so it was dark and swollen rain clouds threatened to open up over them so it looked so much later than it was. George strolled in and tossed her coat down before going to the kitchen and grabbing a soda. She took the seat on the couch and the two sat in silence for a while before George piped up with a question about dinner.

"Please tell me Rube doesn't want us for a group dinner tonight. I'm so over waffles." She groaned and dropped a pillow over her face.

"He didn't say anything if he did. Ros showed up and they got to talking right after we all left." Mason answered and looked over at her sprawled out body across the cushions.

"Ros?"

"A friend of his, I've only met her once. I think she used to be in our little group way back when and now she comes back every once in a while to see him. No offense to Rube, but I don't really understand why such a pretty thing like her would come back for…him. "Mason mused as he flicked channels.

"A friend's a friend, you know? So he didn't say anything about jobs tonight? Thank god, I'm craving a burger."

Mason jumped up and smiled, "Burgers it is then. Any special requests?"

George smiled up at her roommate and stretched, "Cheese, no tomato and extra pickles?"

The Brit nodded and headed to the door down to his car. He'd finally broken down and gotten a car, he figured it was better than hitching and since Rube had been in such a funk for the last few months it'd be more relative to his health. Twenty minutes and twenty bucks later, he was home and he and George sat at the dining room table scooping up ketchup with their French fries and laughing.

He smiled over at her; she loved to listen to his stories about the sixties. He could tell the most boring thing about high school and what little college he went to and she'd eat it up, every so often chiming in with a similar tale. His life had been laced with the Rock 'n Roll lifestyle and she found it interesting. He'd try and explain some of the trips he'd had at concerts and how the music just seemed to come alive, and that made him want to learn how to play. She'd sit back and listen to him for hours as he'd talk and nod, smiling as he'd joke about his idiot friends and the pranks they pulled. She was just like the sister he'd always wanted… and then some.

As the night got later and they'd sat around their trash for a few hours the two got up and made way for their nighttime ritual. Mason threw away the trash, George would put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, he'd grab a few sodas, and she'd stand leaning against the counter. After the popcorn was done they'd steal up to her room and talk for hours, lying on her bed with some music on. She loved watching him listen to music and every so often they'd get into a fight, tossing the little kernels at each other and had even had the displeasure of waking Daisy a few times. Mason couldn't really recall when they'd started up that ritual, but it usually led to them passing out eventually across her bed. He leaned back against the headboard as George watched some music video and he gazed her over as he had so many times before.

"You really are beautiful, Georgie-girl." Was all he said.

She blushed and her dark eyes turned to meet his, "Thanks." Was all she could muster and she turned back to the TV.

He thought back to the first time he'd gone up to her room late at night and they'd talked. Insomnia went with the job, he remember telling her that when he'd brought a huge bag of sleeping pills to who he thought was George trying to get to sleep. One night he was in a particularly bad spot and needed someone to talk to. George had let him in without question and they'd stayed up until dawn just talking and laying around. He'd slept in her room every night since then.

Now, to clarify, he'd slept in her room. They hadn't done anything save that one kiss in her office. Not to say he didn't think about it but he never had the guts to do anything except put an arm around her during the night when she'd whimper in her sleep. Tonight though he shook off the idea and instead ruffled his hair, "So… random question, but what kind of flowers do you like? Like if a bloke were to give you some and you had any pick?"

George paused, why would he ask her that? Well, stranger things had passed between them, "White or yellow roses. Those're my favorite." She answered.

Mason nodded and looked back at the TV. They were in for a long night of comfortable silence and he liked it that way.


	4. A Note on the Door

Chapter 3: A Note on the Door

Omnipresent POV

The late morning was as grey as the early morning had been. Rain clouds hung over the city's head and threatened to pour down tears of boredom as the people went about on their busy day. It must be nice, sort of, to have a day job and fill hours with monotony and ritualistic tasks. No, that wasn't for Rube. He liked to get on with his day and try and do something different at least once.

This morning's crossword had been too easy. That was definitely a sign that today was going to be long and probably spent at home with a book and a bottle of wine. He wasn't a big drinker, not as much as Mason anyway, but when he sat at home and read it was often accompanied by a nice vintage that went with the story. Today it was going to be a '62 Merlot and Great Expectations, ironically enough that was what he'd had for today, Great Expectations. After yesterday's surprise visitor he'd had a mind to play the lottery, he might win something.

The morning reap had gone well. As well as could be expected of a man being decapitated by a falling piece of glass could go, anyway. It had been messy and the white button down shirt he was wearing was smeared with blood. That annoyed him. Blood annoyed him. Dead people annoyed him. It was one of those days where everything was going to be annoying.

She hadn't been at breakfast this morning and that bothered him. She was always one of the first to get there and the last to leave. A shake of the head pushed away that thought; she was probably sleeping off jet lag from the trip yesterday. There was no reason to be thinking like that. Really, what got him was the thousand-and-one questions from his reaper that morning and she hadn't been there t take them. "Who was she," "Why is she back," "How do you know her," "How does Kiffany know her?" they all asked in a giant balloon of questions when all he wanted was to eat, hand out the assignments and leave.

They were a great group, probably one of the best he'd had in his many years of the job. They meshed well and that was important. Sadly though, they knew how to get to him and they all used that to their advantage. He smiled and leaned against the walls of the elevator and thought back to George and all of her run-ins with him. They hadn't really gotten along at first but now she was like a daughter to him. She had cried on his shoulder more than once and he'd offered up a paternal hug along with a cup of coffee and that seemed to help. He liked helping.

A bell sounded and the doors slid open to his floor. The long hallway was quiet as it always was. For the first few months of his living there he'd thought he was alone, but after a while a few families moved in and it seemed like a little world up in this building… a little world where death lurked.

His door came into views, no doubt another List was shoved beneath it and on the floor of his apartment but today there was something different. A white envelope was taped just under the brass numbers with his name on it. He smiled and tugged it loose before unlocking the door, scooping up the brown paper package on the floor and went to his desk. Ledgers, pens and his day planner littered the antique oak finish and he tossed the List down before removing his coat and hat.

The envelope opened with little effort and in it there were two sheets of crisp, white paper. One was covered in elegant, curved cursive while the other was blank. Rube took a seat at the desk and set to read, one hand holding the paper while the other rested on the day planner as a reminder of things to do later.

_Rube,  
__  
Think you can spare some time out of your busy day to come talk to me somewhere that isn't the waffle house?_

_Rosslyn_

He smiled and picked up the blank paper, meant for his reply. They had started this routine so many years ago back before cell phones or email was all the hype. It was always the best way to get information and the tenants of his apartment floor never messed with his stuff, even if it was a taped, half-open envelope to his door.

_Rosslyn,_

_Always. Meet you at Chez Mortal at 7:30, dress nice._

_Rube_

He marveled at the different in handwriting. Hers was a fluid and distinctly feminine swirl of practiced elegance that only years of practice had conjured while his was a cold and distant type that was as detached and choppy as its creator had the ability to be. They did match well, didn't they? Friends as old as time, it would seem.

Rube stood and put the paper back into the envelope then taped it back on the door. He then sat down and opened the package, looking over the names before setting to write them in his planner. Death would stop for no man… or woman.


	5. Sobriety What?

Chapter 4: Sobriety What?

Rosslyn POV

I peeled the envelope off the door and pulled out the paper inside. Chez Mortal… it almost seemed like a restaurant or something. I smiled and shook my head, stuffing it back in the envelope and heading on my way. He always had that ability to make things at least a little less morbid than they really were.

It was still early, just after lunch and I'd already tried wasting my time at the apartment I was staying in, okay let's be honest the apartment I was squatting in until I figured out how long I was going to hang around for. I had spent the last four hours staring into the TV screen trying to will time to move forward until I was sure my letter had been replied to. As I stared at his door I wondered briefly if knocking and coming in for a while would be considered redundant since I'd asked to spend some time and we'd set a date already. _Date what? Whoa there with that train of thought, honey._

Seven thirty… still a bit more than six hours away. What was I supposed to do until then? Go sit at Der Waffle Haus and wait for Kiffany and any of his reapers to find me out and pester me to death? I don't think so. Well, I didn't have anything "nice" to wear and when Rube said to be dressed, he meant it for a reason. A few hours at the mall couldn't hurt, right? And it would give me time to reason out what it was exactly that I wanted to talk about.

It was crowded at the mall. I hate crowds. I hate people, to be perfectly honest. Actually no, that's not true; I hate people that are _alive_. Something about being around them pisses me off and I don't really have a reason for it. Maybe it has something to do with being plastered up against a wall while a family of four passes by with a loving married couple who got to live past their twenties hold hands and gush at their perfect kids aged two and four. Maybe I'm just really not in a happy place right now.

The clothes were overpriced and nothing was really to my liking. Why is it that everything made in these times is either slutty or really, really ugly and ill fitting? I really don't understand. But my eyes fell on something that didn't seem too bad. I picked it off the rack and made my way to the dressing room only to discover that it was see through and it didn't exactly accentuate my better qualities.

Eventually, I did find a few things and had managed to kill about three hours. Now it was just three more to go and I still had to go home and get ready. Home. I said that like that little studio apartment was a place where I could live for longer than a few days. Hell, this whole place was home. I smiled to myself and started the fight against the crush of people when I felt it. I stopped and stood very still, my hands falling to my sides as customary and just let the feeling come over me. That tightness in my stomach and tug in my mind pointed me to the left and that was when I saw her. She was hunched over and leaning against a wall, dark eyes scanning the crowds before settling on me. It was time to work.

_ Fuck… of course, right?_ I made my way closer and waited until I was full in her sights then turned, heading out to my car to put the bags away. Yep, Chez Mortal would definitely be appropriate tonight.

OPOV

Rube shoved open the doors to Der Waffle Haus, heads turning as the jangle of the bell erupted throughout the floorspace. He looked to their booth and saw Roxy leaned against the divider with her hat off and her wavy black hair falling down to her shoulders. She had her head leaned back and her eyes closed, one hand clutching the cup of coffee on the table.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he took his seat across from her.

"You know, the usual bullshit. I thought getting out of that meter maid shit meant that I didn't have to deal with people and their stupid complaints. I had to go over to a house for a Domestic Disturbance call and you know that there was a woman complaining that her husband wouldn't give her the coke that she'd apparently paid half the money for? What kind of fucked up marriage is that?" Roxy ranted, lifting up her head and locking eyes with her boss.

Rube chuckled and shook his head. Roxy was always good for a story even though most of it had to do with people doing stupid things. It was nice though, getting to listen to some other people's problems when it seemed that he had never-ending ones of his own to deal with.

"So what was she doing back here, anyway?" Roxy asked, turning in her seat to face the man across from her who met her gaze with an expressionless face.

"I don't know, I didn't really talk to her this morning. You know how it is: she blows in for a day or so then leaves out of nowhere." Rube answered, making sure to keep his face devoid of anything that might give away the fact that he was seeing her again.

"You know I don't believe that. Don't think I'm falling for that 'I'm so innocent, I have no idea what you're talking about' crap. I mean, this time she didn't come back covered in scars or blood or anything so I'm assuming it's not as bad as it was last time. You might as well just tell me…"

Rube blinked. Roxy was never this determined to find things out about him. Was Rosslyn that big of a story to them or was it just the fact that he had someone come to see him that would cause such a stir? It worried him that they, Roxy at most, would care so much about someone wanting to see him.

"She's a friend who's come to see me, that's it. End of story."

"Yeah, you say that when you don't want to tell us something."

"Leave it, Roxy, if you needed to know anything else about it or her I'd tell you."

"Then why was she covered in scars and blood the last time she was here?"

Rube stiffened. He knew that was bound to be brought up by either her or Mason eventually. No, they didn't need to know. It wasn't up to him to say anything and if she wanted the rest of his reapers to know, she'd give him the go ahead.

"Leave it, Rox, I mean it." And he stood up to go.

She didn't make a move to say anything else but her eyes followed him until the bell sounded on the doors again. _No Post-Its tonight, I guess._

RPOV

She was late. She was never late. Even if it meant coming covered in blood, guts and gore she would be there on time. What did this mean? She wanted to see me, right? So where the hell was she?

I leaned against the larger of the headstones beside me and started to dig through my jacket pocket to find my pipe. This was definitely not a good sign and when things tend to be in a stressful place I like to have that ability to try and smoke it away. My hands put it together as it had some many times before and I took the first drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs then fly up toward the clouds in a hazy puff. It was a clearer night than it had been in days. You could see the moon with little trouble and for some reason it seemed fitting, mostly because of where we met.

We always met here when it regarded something more than just the random conversations we had with everyone else. It had meaning here for some reason. Maybe it was because this should be a sacred place for reapers, or maybe because we were both morbid from time to time and this had somewhat of a gothic reminiscence to it. Either way.

I took another drag as I saw a figure coming my way. My heartbeat skipped a few times as I leaned back to get try and focus a little better on it. Gravelings haunted these places and I didn't feel like being fucked with tonight. I smiled though when I saw the curls flowing in the breeze behind the figure, and I could feel myself relax as Rosslyn's familiar face came into view.

She didn't look quite herself though, as she came closer. Rather, she looked very much like herself but not what I had been figuring on. Her hair was wild and unkempt, dried blood at her scalp and deep scratches covering her face. The long, black coat she wore had deep slashes in it and the shirt and pants underneath were torn and bloodstained. She locked eyes with mine and instantly I could feel myself setting into a look of practiced concern as she finally stopped and leaned beside me.

"Something held you up, I take it?" I asked and she glared at me.

"How could you tell?"

Without a word she pulled a cigarette from the folds of her jacket and held a hand out to me for a light. I handed her my lighter and we just stood there taking long drags and sending curls of smoke up toward what visible stars there were. The bent stick didn't last two minutes and she tossed it down, grinding it out with the toe of her boot. I stood there, pipe in my teeth with my eyes going down toward the city.

"We really need to find a better place to get together, Rube. This cemetery at night is creeping me the fuck out."

"What'd you want to talk about?"

A shrug lifted her shoulders and I saw a wince arcing her berry lips in pain, "Dunno."

"Hurt bad?"

"Always."

I leaned out an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and we just stood there for a while, looking out at the quiet graves. I felt her head leaning on my shoulder after a while and she sighed, "I'm cold."

A shift of movement and we were walking down to the road. I noticed that she had no car and we turned and made our way to my truck. A chuckle escaped her and she looked at me with a this-is-funny-but-I'm-really-tired look, "Nothing's changed has it?"

I shook my head and opened the door for her and slammed it after she'd gotten in. Two minutes later we were on a course for my apartment and she, as always, had fallen asleep with my jacket draped over her.

MPOV

God, the day had been so boring. If I was still a drinking man I'd probably be passed fucking out on the couch from the sheer lack of excitement and the Jack Daniels in my system. Sadly, or would it be not-so-sadly, I was piss sober and reading a book.

This was my life, was it? Here I was, living with two of the best girls in the whole state and I couldn't even find something to entertain myself for the evening. Granted, I had laid low on the drug dealing and drug taking so that completely screwed my options, but there had to be something, yeah?

I don't think I could have been concentrating any less on this book. It was good, don't get me wrong, but lately my mind had been elsewhere. Ever since Daisy had made that stupid comment about my being in love with her she'd been ignoring me more than usual, but now she'd taken to ignoring me but making some of the weirdest facial gestures at me when she thought I wasn't looking. Something probably like "poor sap" or something. It pissed me off to no end.

Didn't she think I could do better than her? Probably not… I was the fuck-up of the group and everyone knew it. Honestly, I'm not like that but being half high/drunk most of the time will do that to you. And I'd even gotten a commendation from Rube just the other day on the fact that I hadn't messed up in weeks. It was actually nice to hear someone say that, even though it was in a tone that screamed that it wouldn't last. God damn it, I would make this last. No, it wouldn't be like the last time where I'd go back just because I'd found something hard to deal with. Fuck if I was going to let myself, not to mention other people down again.

_ You will lose it, Mason, you know it. You might as well just go in there and have a shot because no one expects you to keep this up. Not George, not Rube, not Roxy and sure as hell not Daisy. _I shook my head at the thought. There it was again, that voice that made me want a drink or a toke or anything that would take away the pain or whatever it was that I was feeling. I had nothing to be worried about, right? I had a great house with two, for the most part, amazing girls and an un-life that didn't suck. _You don't have anyone._

I felt the book slide from my hands and clatter to the floor. I didn't see anything at that point and I could feel myself sliding out of the chair and I knew what would come next. A pint, a toke, a pill, something that would chase that thought from my mind. Why did it bother me so much though? I died in the bloody sixties where there was nothing but free love and as many drugs to make it seem like there was. _Go on, Mason, it's pointless and you know it. The one girl you really like told you to 'piss off' while the other doesn't even know you really exist. A drink won't kill you, right? You're already dead!_

I felt myself cringe and I found myself in the kitchen by the liquor cabinet. No, it wasn't going to be like that. I wouldn't fall for it again. Besides, what did he… I know. I felt my hand on the knob and willed myself not to turn it to open that door. It was like I had no control and I was on autopilot with nothing to stop myself and I knew that after one drink I'd be gone. I'd never stop because I'd be too weak to try and be sober again.

_ That's right. You're weak and everyone knows it. George knows it and she'll never want to see you again. All those nights staying up and talking will be gone and it was all because you're too fucking weak._ The bottle was in hand. Vodka, nothing sissy about it. The weight was like a bomb ready to explode in my hands. I made my way to lean against the counter as if nothing was wrong and I stared deep into the depths of the clear liquid. In there I'd be safe from all of this, and a buffer would keep anything from getting to me. It was way too easy to just unscrew the cap and take a drink.

With a howl of rage I tossed the bottle against the floor and watched it shatter, the liquid spreading all across the tile floor. I made no move to clean it up and instead I felt my eyes tearing up with fear. _Shit. Shit. Shit. What did I just do?_ I had no idea and in moments I was curled up behind the armchair in the living room with tears rolling down my face like some naughty child who'd just been whipped. I couldn't help myself and for the life of me I searched my mind for some clever quip as to why there was a bottle of vodka broken on the floor. There wasn't one.

I heard the door open and prayed that no one would notice. Suddenly I heard Daisy's voice come in from the mudroom behind the kitchen, "Shit, Mason, are you drinking again or- … oh my god, what happened?"

I didn't move and I heard her come into the living room and hoped she didn't see me sitting there. No such luck.

"Are you okay, Mason? What happened in there? Are you drunk or what?" she asked, hands on her hips in a mock maternal way.

"Go away, Daisy."

"What?"

"I said GO AWAY." I yelled and stood up, pointing up the stairs or out of the house, anywhere but there.

She backed away and ran upstairs. I watched then sunk back down to my place. George would be home soon and I couldn't do that to her. Never to her. Again tears filled my eyes and I just sat there for what seemed like hours.

"Mason? Daisy? The fuck happened in here?" I heard George's voice from the kitchen but couldn't seem to make myself move, "Mason?" she asked again, this time more gently and I stood up slowly. I was shaking and I had no idea why. My face was red, not from the booze, not from the drugs, but from the crying. I never cried.

"I'm… sorry, Georgie, I'll clean it up." I managed but not without my voice doing that wavy bit.

"No, no, it's fine. What happened, are you okay?"

I shook my head no and flopped down on the ottoman of the armchair, unable to look her in the face. She probably figured I was drunk off my ass. I felt like I should have been.

"Were you… drinking again?" she asked, trying not to sound too motherly.

Again I shook my head no, "I wanted to, but I couldn't do it. Not in this house with you in it. I couldn't. I didn't want to disappoint you again, Georgie."

She didn't move and all I felt was a hand on my back, running slowly in a motion meant to soothe me. Oddly enough, it did. "You're not disappointing anyone. You just scared the hell out of me."

I looked up at her and smiled. Or at least I think I did because she pulled me to my feet and was smiling at me. A few minutes later we were cleaning up the mess and popcorn was doing its thing in the microwave.


	6. Old Times Sake

Chapter 5: Old Time's Sake

Rosslyn POV

I had fallen asleep again. I had fallen asleep in midst of the bumping and jarring of that old truck as we made our way to the middle of town. Something about that damn truck was comforting to me, or maybe it was the fact that I was suffering from major blood loss and had passed out. Either way, when I opened my eyes we were stopped and Rube had opened my door and was in the middle of an attempt to wake me up.

My eyes fluttered open and I could tell that they were probably glazed over. Aside from the scratches and whatever else was all over me I probably looked drunk. I wished I was. Rube took care to offer me a hand; always the gentleman even when I was bleeding into his seat cushions and fading away into the unconscious he made a point to open the door for me. That right there was a sign of friendship: "I'll always open the door for you even if you're staining my seats." What a guy.

"Do you need me to carry you?" he asked, his voice was doing that weird fatherly thing that tended to happen when I'd done something that he didn't approve of.

I shook my head no and stood, but fell back against the truck as a wave of dizziness washed over my already fuzzy mind. I felt a hand reach out to steady me, but I just leaned my head against the cold metal and took a few breaths. When I could see straight again I turned around to see him standing there with a worried look on his face. God, I hated that look. It always made me feel like I was hurting him. With a sigh I shut the door and tugged my jacket closer to me. It was cold. Very cold, and I was hoping that it really was the weather and not my fleeting blood supply.

As we made our way through the lobby of the apartment building with my steps coming slower and more robotic I thought back to the first time I'd come like this. Sadly I'd had to ride the elevator, the slow and squeaky thing that it was, by myself with nothing or no one to help keep me propped up. I smiled as we walked through the opening doors and I leaned against on wall. The ride up was slow and my legs were starting to get that grape jelly feeling again. I just prayed that I'd make it to his floor but no such luck.

Strong arms were there to catch me as I fell accompanied by a "fucking Christ!". I tried to smile as I always did, but by the look on Rube's face I hadn't managed it. Again I was met with the concerned face as the elevator crept to a stop. A sigh meant that I was picked up into those arms that had caught me, but they didn't bring me the comfort I had been hoping for. A cry of pain echoed throughout the hallway and I was put down instantly.

"Fuck….don't do that again." I whispered through gritted teeth.

"No shit, Sherlock. Hold on a second," he said quietly as he slid my jacket off and lifted the hem of my shirt up a bit, "holy shit…" was all he said and got me to my feet again.

We made it to the door without too much more trouble. I could sort-of walk which meant that it gave Rube a chance to get the door unlocked. I tried to make it to the couch once inside, but instead found the floor. I didn't try to move again out of courtesy to what little strength my body had left. My eyes had closed but I knew the layout of the small studio apartment as well I knew the back of my hand.

Again I was hoisted up and carried to the back behind a wall, the half-bath. There I would find a small tub with a crisp white towel on the floor in front of it with an immaculate lavatory right beside. Again I felt the hem of my shirt being tugged, but it only got so far before it caught on the dried blood of my upper back. Hopefully some of the smaller cuts were gone already, but I could never tell how long it would last. With a curse I was left alone for a moment to ponder my situation. Would this be like old times? Him clean me up and get me to a somewhat coherent state of mind, let me sleep on the couch or in a chair for the night then take me home in the morning? Would we talk like we used to or would it be us sitting in silence, smoking? Did I have another cigarette?

Then he was back and I heard the water in the tub running. It would be warm and crystal clear as it always was only to be defiled by my blood. My shirt gave way and I heard the metallic sound of scissors cutting. _Damn, that was a nice shirt too._ I should have been blushing at the thought of him seeing me like this, but for some reason it never bothered me. Then my boots, socks and jeans were gone as well. I could feel the blush burning now. I was completely open and vulnerable, but then again I always seemed to be where this was involved.

"How bad is it?" I asked, lifting my head up a little.

"The hell happened tonight? How many were there?"

I lowered my head and if I had the strength I would have covered my face. There was silence as a warm, wet cloth was pressed against my back. It stung and I winced, but didn't say anything more. How could I tell him that I'd messed up? I wasn't the one who messed up! I was always the first there, the first done and always the best work: clean, devoid of error, detached and concise. How could I have let this happen?

It took the better part of an hour, but I was clean, dry and sitting on the couch with a cup of hot tea in my hands. The fire was going, and that always helped to comfort me. The towel I was wrapped in was thick and fluffy white, but I knew that it I moved too quickly that it would be stained in blood if it wasn't already. Then there was Rube who sat in his chair, pipe in his lips and eyes on the fire. A glass of red wine sat at his elbow and that bothered me; alcohol meant he was tense.

"You never answered me." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I never answered you what?" I asked in an attempt to play dumb.

"What happened tonight?"

I lowered my gaze to the cup of tea and stared into the depths of it. I couldn't lie to him, he'd see right through it. I couldn't tell him the truth, he'd never let me hear the end of it. What was I supposed to do?

"I got sloppy."

He cocked an eyebrow and took a pull of his wine, "you got… sloppy?"

I nodded and wrapped my hands around the warm mug. I was suddenly cold again and I couldn't stand to look him in the face, "I don't know what happened. I was off my mark and that's all."

"How many were there?"

A wince shattered my stone face and I lifted my eyes up to meet his. It was embarrassing and I could feel my cheeks burning, "just one."

A look of shock passed through Rube's eyes and I could see him trying to wrap his mind around that one. I couldn't stand it and I raised my head to look him full in the face, "I don't know what happened, okay? I thought everything was going well then I just… I don't know. I couldn't focus."

"Lemme see your back again now that it's had time to stop bleeding." He said it almost as an order.

I got up and stood in front of him. I loosened the towel so it hung low in the back to show him whatever it was he wanted to see. Cold fingers brushed my spine and I yelped a little, jumping. "Oh calm down, you big baby," he teased and I smiled to myself. He'd found what he was looking for and it was then that I saw the familiar jar of a salve he had on the end table. It was the one he always used when I was hurt. It never stung, and it always made the worst wounds heal in days. I didn't know what it was; I just knew that Penny gave it to him after I'd come back a few times in the same shape I was in now.

"So what was on your mind that made you get so sloppy, eh?" Rube asked as he spread some of the cooling gel over my lower back.

I shivered and shrugged my shoulders with a wince, "just thinking about things that weren't the job."

"Like?"

"Like… how long I was going to stay."

"How long are you staying?"

I paused, "I don't know."

"So all that thinkin' and you still don't know? Looks like you got yourself fucked up for no good reason."

"I… no, I know I'll stay for a while, but I guess it kind of depends on how long."

His hand stopped, "depends on what?"

"You. I mean, if everything's okay why should I stick around right?"

I heard a chuckle, "you stay as long as you want, Ros. You know it's always good to have your company around here."

"It's just that Penny said you'd been in a weird mood since… well, you know, and I didn't want to mess with that."

Hands gripped my shoulders and I was turned around to face him. My hands clutched at the towel and I looked up in fear that I'd pissed him off. "For what reason do you think I'm 'in a weird mood'?"

"I mean, what with… Rosie and all. I know you're upset, and even though you said you were fine yesterday I know you better than that."

"You do, do you?"

I nodded, "that's why I'm here. I wanted to be here for you. I thought it would help since you've been there for me so many times." God, I sounded like a child, or worse yet a new reaper whining away at her new un-life. It bothered me that I cared so much about my choice of words.

Rube hadn't stopped staring down at me. He looked so tall at that moment, but not because he was a good six inches taller than me. I saw there a statue, nay, a pillar of stone that was as much unmovable as it was strong. An expression of pain was etched into his face that I hadn't seen before. It wasn't the same one I wore when I came to him bloody and scared, it was something deeper.

"Do… you want me to go?" I asked in a gentle voice though I had no fucking clue as to where I was supposed to go wrapped in a towel in thirty degree weather.

"No."

"Y'sure?"

"Stay."

I nodded and he brushed past me to his dresser. He pulled out a shirt and tossed it to me. I smiled and went back to the half-bath to change. It was nice, a worn in, comfortable white shirt. I just stood there taking in its softness when I stopped to think about what it was on my back that had Rube so worried. I turned my back to the mirror and lifted up the hem of the shirt. There just above my hips were two sets of puncture marks, eight in total: two sets of four on either side of my spine. One set was lower, more at my kidneys and that would explain the pain I was feeling to sit or stand for too long. The other set was just shy of my spine and I imagine the blow was meant to sever the nerve endings there. Damn it, I was an idiot.

"You okay in there?" Rube called and I poked my head out to show him I was fine.

I tugged at a strand of my hair, the damp curl falling to my shoulder. I looked like death warmed over, and I smiled at the analogy. It was comforting being here, but it wasn't me who was supposed to comforted. I'd come here with purpose, but as always I ended up on the receiving end.

When I went back to the main room the fire was burned down a bit and the bed was turned down. _No talking tonight, then, I guess._ I sighed inwardly and started for the couch when Rube caught my arm and shook his head. I tilted my head in confusion but went with him as he moved to sit us both down on the edge of the queen sized mattress.

"Bed already?" I asked in a playful tone that was met with a small smile.

"No. You looked uncomfortable having to sit up so I thought we'd lie down and talk." He answered, if only he knew how bad this would be taken if I hadn't known him for so long.

"Ah. So… are you _really_ okay?"

He shook his head no and again I saw that expression of pain. One of my hands reached out to touch his shoulder in a gesture meant to comfort. We were silent for a while and after a few minutes I leaned on his shoulder as I had done so many times in the past. We sat there looking at the floor for what felt like hours then I looked up to meet his eyes, "My little girl is dead, Ros. The one thing I had left in this world is gone."

I shook my head and straightened up to the best of my ability, putting a hand on his arm. Rube looked at me with a 'give me your best shot as to why I'm not alone in this world" face, "she lived a good, long life and you know that. Natural Causes is the way to go and she still knew you when she saw you. She still loved her daddy and… you're not alone, you know?"

A chuckle of amusement sent waves of hurt to my heart. Did he really think he was alone now that Rosie was dead? What were his reapers to him? Hell, what was I then if I didn't merit enough to be called something important?

"My family is dead, Ros. You know how that feels, but this was my child. She outlived me and I had to see someone take her soul. I had to see a FRIEND take her soul."

I nodded. My family had been dead longer than I cared to think about. That was the hard bit, seeing someone you loved die. When they had been alive I had thought that not being with them was the worst thing death could do to me, but the moment I saw my mother's soul leave her body I knew that it was only the beginning. "That doesn't mean you're alone." I offered, trying to keep my voice from wavering with the hurt in my heart.

"I know… I have the group and I have Penny so that's enough to keep me sane here. It's just that Rosie was the only good thing I had for the last part of my life and now she's gone. I feel like I have nothing left to live for. Everything I did in my life was for that little girl and even after I died I felt like I had to act like a dad to keep myself from going crazy. Now though… I don't feel much of anything."

_ All the reapers… Penny…what about me? Am I not his oldest friend? Don't I mean enough 'to keep him sane?'_ I looked down at the floor and tried to reason a sympathetic feeling up. I'd never had a child and I hadn't been married before I died. I couldn't imagine the pain to lose a child.

"Just before I died and everything was so fucked up it was Rosie who always brought me back. Lucy was so sick for so long and we were going to lose the house I just couldn't stand seeing them out on the street." Rube's voice was thick now and I saw his eyes shining with what looked like unshed tears. I had never seen him cry and my heart wrenched like it was going to fly out of my chest.

"I know, but everything that happened wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do-"

"I didn't even get to see my daughter grow up. I lived a day away and I couldn't even go see her to make sure everything was alright! Do you understand that? I saw her the day I died, the day I found out they got evicted and the day she died. I wasn't even there for her at Lucy's funeral." Rube raged, tears now falling down his cheeks.

I reached out for his hand and squeezed it trying to calm him down. He stopped and took stock of what had come out of his mouth, looking to me to what I guessed to make sure that I wasn't hurt. I was hurt. I was near tears myself because it was futile for me to be able to help him as he'd helped me.

"If…it helps at all," I was being bold, "I'm here for you."

"I just wish I could have been as good a father as I've been a reaper. When Lucy's illness had gotten so bad and she was so…I don't even know what to call it and we were fighting all the time I just knew that Rosie was scared that I'd leave. That was why she always asked me if I was coming back when I'd go out of the house. Her mom would yell about how she wished she was dead or that Rosie and I were dead so she could live out her life in peace. I loved her so much and then I just… never came home." Rube's voice had gone soft now, as if he weren't even speaking to me, but just speaking to the air.

"You went to try and get money to help your wife, there's no shame in that!" I yelled, tempted to stand up and shout in his face.

"I robbed a fucking bank and got shot!" he yelled back at me and our hands were clenched together.

"You did what you had to do for them. That's why you were such a good parent! It didn't matter what happened to you as long as they were alright!" my tone had changed back to something to try and comfort, "Don't beat yourself up because you died for them!"

Rube had gone quiet again and we sat there, hands clasped and tears falling slower. A sniffle or two between us passed before he looked at me, "thanks, Rosslyn." He said simply, squeezing my hand.

"Always."

"I didn't finish what I meant to say earlier. Penny and my little group keep me sane here, but you really are a true friend."

I must have gotten a big smile on my face because he pulled me into a hug and we sat there in silence again. I felt better, well, emotionally anyway. My back was starting to hurt from sitting and I shifted to try and get comfortable.

"You're not taking the couch tonight." It was an order.

"Then where are you going to sleep?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I think we've known each other long enough to share a bed without it being a big deal right?"

I paused and looked at him in confusion. Sure, he'd seen me naked when he was cleaning up wounds on me and yeah, we'd had long intimate talks but… sharing a bed? Seriously?

"I don't want to put you out…"

"It'll be fine… and you can't sleep on your back anyway. I want to see if those claw marks or whatever the hell it is swells up in the morning. We'll manage."

I nodded and shifted backward to slide under the soft sheets. Well, you had to give it to the man for taste. He might have been a bachelor for upwards of seventy years or so, but he knew his shit. I smiled and laid down, pressing my face into the softness of the pillow. I hated sleeping on my side; it was too hard not to fall onto my back.

I turned my face and blushed crimson as I saw my best friend change into his pajamas. It wasn't like I had intended to watch, but there it was nonetheless and I smiled to myself as he crawled in bed beside me dressed in ought else but a pair of sweatpants. _Maybe this is what married life is like…_

I tried to close my eyes and will myself to sleep but couldn't. The pain in my back was getting worse and when I opened my eyes I was laying face up to the ceiling. Laughter jarred me from my thoughts and I turned to Rube, "the fuck is so funny?"

"You. You can't stay still even when you're trying to sleep."

"I hate sleeping on my side. I can never stay there."

He sunk down from leaning on the headboard and I was pulled to him, his left arm propping me up along my spine. It should have hurt to be touched, but it didn't for some reason. Maybe because things were healing or maybe because he had such a light touch that never seemed to hurt me. I hoped for the former.

"Uh… what are you doing?"

"Keeping you from rolling on your back."

"I… okay…"

He shook his head in amusement and cut off the light. There I was in the dark left with only my thoughts and my best friend in bed with me. Things were getting weird really fast and it bothered me that it didn't bother me more. _Ah well…c'est la vie._ I put my head down on his chest and was immediately soothed by the sound of his heartbeat. My eyes closed and I could feel myself drifting off when something stirred me one last time. I felt a brush across the top of my head. Much like a kiss, but I had to have been dreaming. Right?


	7. Penny For Your Thoughts

Chapter 6: Penny For Your Thoughts

OPOV

Rosslyn's eyelashes fluttered open in the still dim light of the early morning. Immediately she woke herself in attempt to remember where she was. Obviously she wasn't in her apartment, nor was she in the place Rube had gotten her to squat at for the remainder of her visit, but something about the ceiling was familiar though she hadn't seen it in a while. _Rube's apartment. _

She rolled over to where he'd slept beside her the whole night and found nothing but empty space. _Um… okay._ With a yawn she sat up and stretched, wincing at the pain erupting down her spine. The wounds, she'd forgotten about that. Oddly enough though, she wasn't as tired as she normally was on the day after. It was still really early; the sun hadn't even come up yet if what was outside the gauzy curtains was true. It had to be upwards of around five thirty or six and her host was nowhere to be found. They couldn't all be down at Der Waffle Haus already could they? No, never before daylight; not even Rube wanted to give up what little sleep came to reapers when they finally got it.

The shower was running and she sighed quietly. Yes, it was early but he had The List to worry about. And she had the rest of her morning to worry about. Maybe she would make it down to breakfast and meet the rest of his merry band, or perhaps she'd opt out and spend the morning taking a long bath and recovering from the ordeal last night.

"Finally decide to wake up, did you?" Rube asked, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"Shit! Don't do that!" she teased and threw the closest pillow at him.

He caught the thing with ease and tossed it back on the bed before moving to run a hand towel over his short, dark hair. Rosslyn blinked as she finally caught sight of him and realized that yes, he had just in fact gotten out of the shower and was standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist. A blush seared her cheeks and she hoped out of bed, going to the coffeepot and started to open it up to make a pot. Rube smiled and shook his head at her, "so are you going to breakfast with us?"

She turned,"I might be a little late."

"And this would be because… what exactly?"

A smirk twitched at the ends of her lips as she scooped two of the little cups inside the can of coffee into the coffeepot, "Because here I am in your apartment having stayed the night, all of my clothes are covered in blood and I have nothing else to wear that isn't yours. How would that look?"

Rube faltered, almost tripping on that lone towel around his waist and looked at her in a way she'd never seen: he was embarrassed. Not at the fact that she'd stayed or anything, but merely at the thought of one of his reapers finding out and how he'd get made fun of. A smile, a very large on at that, moved across his face and he went back to dressing as she finished with the coffee.

Soon enough the room was filled with the aroma of their coffee and Rube was at his place at the desk amongst the ledgers, pens and his day planner. Rosslyn sat as well, at the end of the couch closest to him, sipping her morning caffeine and watching him make the notes for whatever the morning had planned. Most would find it odd, as often as she stayed she had never made a move to peek at The List or anything else. No, she was content to just sit and let things happen. Besides, she had her own agenda when it came to death and everyone else's reap had nothing to do with her.

"Look's like there something in here for you." Rube mused and held up a white paper.

She took it and looked at the large, swirled cursive that read _Welcome Back, Rosslyn. _Nothing signed or anything, just those words. A smile crossed her face at the gesture, apparently someone more than just Rube was happy to see her back. It was nice to be noticed, though as she put it back on his desk she saw six Post-Its in his day planner for the morning instead of five. _And apparently they want me to work since I'm back…_

"Oh now that's just fucked up… I'm injured for god's sake!" she complained and faux sulked in his general direction.

"What makes you say that?"

She pointed at the Post-Its in his day planner, "that right there. There's six instead of five. There's five reapers in your division including you, plus me there are six and there are six Post-Its. A equals B equals C."

"And because there are six you assume one is for you?" Rube countered in his know-it-all voice.

"I…yeah…" she started then fell as a smile passed her friend's face, "shut up."

He smiled and stood, wrapping the rubber band around his planner before looking her over. In that calming way he had he instantly soothed the stupidity she was feeling before clapping a hand on her shoulder, "but you're right… one is for you." And promptly walked away quickly to avoid her hitting him somewhere he didn't want to be hit.

She mock glared over at him and stood, going to put her cup away. It made her smile that he jokingly moved away from her in what was supposed to be fear, but the smile he wore offered otherwise.

"Okay, show me your back before I take you home." His voice seemed to linger on the word 'home', almost as if he too felt that the little apartment she was staying in could be considered for such a thing.

"It's fine. I feel better this morning" suddenly she was feeling very shy at the thought of showing him anything.

A stern look made her shrink back against the bed and hold up a hand, "honestly, I'm fine. I'm not bleeding or anything and nothing feels swollen. Now you're going to be late if we don't leave…" there was a waver in her voice that she couldn't hide and he took notice of it. Something had come over her that wasn't good and that bothered him.

"If you wear your trench and your boots no one'll think anything of it." Rube said, pointing to her badly scuffed boots and jacket.

Rosslyn nodded and dressed before looking up at him. Almost in a moment it seemed as though something had passed between them that hadn't and it had caused a tension. Never once had she felt tense in his presence and she bit at her lip in defiance of it. _No…nothing's different between us. Just because last night we had a little bit more of a deep conversation than we ever had does NOT mean that there's anything deeper. Stop that right now._ In effort to ease things she grabbed Rube's arm as he tugged the short, red scarf around his neck and smiled up at him, "Breakfast is on me, okay?"

Another smile, that very same large one, "Okay."

GPOV

Breakfast was different that morning. Everyone seemed to be in a really good mood, even Rube and Roxy who were known for their 'say anything more to me than "hi" before nine and I'll shoot you' attitudes. Normally mine was just as bad, but for some reason I woke up just a little bit happier than normal.

Mason and I rode together that morning leaving Daisy to finish her two hour primping ritual in favor of coffee and something to eat. We had stayed up the whole night talking about whatever it was that was bothering him. He'd been feeling the urge to drink again, at Daisy's hand I thought, but he'd firmly shot that one down only to claim it was just an annual thing. I'd known him almost two years and I never remembered him being like that.

I loved driving my car in good weather. The top down, music blaring, wind in my hair… it was the only way to go. That, and I loved it when Mason would ride with me. We'd put it on some classic rock station and take the scenic route, singing along and having car mosh pits complete with head banging and everything. The best though, was just watching him listen to the music. Those long fingers would tap in unison to the beat against the top of the door and his head would bob ever so slightly. It was really endearing to watch, especially when it was a son he liked and he'd lean over, brush my knee with a hand almost as if to ask permission, then turn the volume up as loud as it would go.

Der Waffle Haus was nothing special that morning. The coffee was good, the food was good, and everyone was in a decent mood. Rube even managed a few jokes that earned a laugh or two. Something was up. Now, I'm not normally that much of a cynic but seeing him like that made me wonder what exactly it was that had put him in such a good mood. We found out soon enough.

We had been sitting for about ten minutes or so, Rube refusing to pass out our reaps because there was some announcement he had to make. This made all of us, especially Roxy, antsy. Granted yes, she was a cop, but chill the fuck out, right?

"Rube, I have to go I'm on duty this morning."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. Besides, you never stay and hang out with us anymore. It's sad, really." He'd said in that cool tone of voice and kept a firm grip on that planner of his.

Roxy sipped her coffee and glared at him, but his eyes stayed focused on the paper. None of us really talked, Mason and Roxy got into it about letting him play with the pepper spray she carried again, but she withheld 'out of courtesy to his health since he didn't have any'. Daisy mumbled something about a concert that night that she was going to, but she had been really quiet the last few days. Well, quiet in comparison to normal.

The jangling of the bell above the door revealed the same slender, auburn haired woman that had been the restaurant a couple of days ago. This time though she wasn't hunkered down in one of the booths, but walked with a sure stride toward us with her head held somewhat high. She was pretty, probably older than I was and that bothered me a little. Mason smiled as she walked up and stood, giving her a hug. That definitely bothered me.

"Everyone, this is Rosslyn. Rosslyn, you already know Roxy and Mason. The other two are George and Daisy." Rube announced, gesturing at the two of us.

Roxy nodded in the woman's general direction, Mason smiled again, Daisy extended a hand that she took and shook it firmly before looking at me. She smiled, but I couldn't smile back. Something about Mason hugging her, which I had no idea why it bothered me so much, angered me. It angered me that he smiled up at her and it angered me that she was there in the first place.

"Is George your given name?" Rosslyn asked, I'd heard that before when Daisy had shown up. This was not a good sign of my feelings toward her.

"Georgia." I answered in a mock sweet voice and smiled the fakest smile I could muster.

"Ah. Pretty." Was all she answered before pulling up a chair and turning it backwards, sitting down.

"Rosslyn's going to be with us for a while and she's a very good friend of mine so show her the same respect you show me." Rube said in his 'I'm the boss, don't fuck with me' voice.

Mason opened his mouth, probably to say something smart, but I put a hand on his leg to stop it. He looked at me and I shook my head, I was so not in the mood for him to get chewed out this morning. After what had happened the night before, I might have ripped Rube's head off at the first sign of calling him a fuck-up.

"Daisy? As in Daisy Adair? From New York?" She asked our roommate who smiled that actress smile and nodded.

"Why yes. Have you heard of me?"

A grin tugged the edges of Rosslyn's mouth upward slightly, "I've heard a few stories."

Daisy's smile quickly faded and she fought to stay composed even though it was plainly obvious that the comment had rattled her, "oh? What… have you heard exactly?"

Maybe we'd finally get to hear some of the real dirt behind why Daisy had gotten transferred. Maybe we'd finally get to hear something good other than all of her stories about the men she'd fucked back when she was alive.

"That you'd blown Clark Gable under a table during the making of Gone With the Wind."

Again Daisy was beaming, her sudden fear gone and it was replaced with cool grace, "Oh.. yes. But it wasn't Clark Gable. It was someone who I never found out who it was!"

"Okay, that's about all I can take for now, boys and girls." Rube interjected before Rosslyn had a chance to open her mouth again.

Rube then opened his planner and slapped down our Post-Its just as he'd done every other day. This time, though, he paused at the last one before putting it down in front our newest member. They shared a look. I don't know if anyone else caught it but they shared a look, a smiley look almost as if telling a silent joke to one another. Since when did Rube have inside jokes?

"Okay, I have to go to work." I couldn't be there anymore. I had to leave before this weird feeling in me got any worse. It wasn't a bad feeling, just something weird that I didn't want to deal with.

Mason let me out, but stopped me with a tug on my elbow, "hey, Georgie, what's your last name?"

"Lass, why?"

"No no, your Happy Time last name. Millie's last name."

"Hagan. Again, why?"

"Nothing, I just couldn't remember it and it was driving me nuts." Yeah, that was convincing.

I gave him a sidelong glance as I walked out, waiting to see if anything was going to jump out at me before I left the waffle house. Nothing did and I made it to Happy Time without injury which was always good. Well, I say good in comparison to getting there covered in blood and having to desperately defend my lie of it being a cherry slurpy stain or a car accident.

The morning went by fast enough as I spent it twirling around in my chair, reading the files that were on my desk. I had something to be doing but just couldn't get a handle on anything that morning for some reason. That weird feeling wouldn't go away even at work. Making copies didn't help, calling the same lazy temps in order to try and hire the unfortunate office help for Samson Corp didn't help, but twirling around seemed to make the feeling more fuzzy and that suited me fine.

"Millie!" gushed Delores, loudly might I add, from just outside my cubicle which sent me flying to the ground.

"Fuck!" I shouted a little too loud and staggered to get to my knees.

My hair was swept over and what little time I'd spent on it was now moot as I tried to restore some semblance of order to the long, blonde frizz. Delores offered a hand to help me up, but I leaned on the desk and sat back in my chair before I acknowledged her presence, "what Delores?" I asked in an angry tone to which she regarded with the folding of her arms and the narrowing of her eyes that she always did when I'd done something that she deemed 'impolite'.

"I was just trying to get your attention and I've told you a hundred times that I don't care for that kind of language in the office. Now what were you doing?" the older woman asked.

"I was…" my mind raced, "thinking. Thinking about who was the best person for the job at that new pharmaceutical company we just picked up."

"Well aren't you just the busy little bee, aren't you?" she gushed and I felt my smile melting into a face of disgust that manifested only when I'd done something that pleased her so thoroughly.

"I guess."

"Well, there's something for you in the conference room. I just thought you might like to know." She was smiling. Oh god, was it a 'package'? Was there a party in my honor and I hadn't picked up on it? _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

I slowly stood up and made my way to the conference room. Everyone was still out in the main room, which was a good sign. No one was looking at me and whispering to each other, which was also a good sign. So if it wasn't a party, what the hell was it?

_ Flowers?_ I opened the door to the conference room and on the table was a vase filled with half a dozen roses: three white and three yellow. My favorites. Who would have given me these? Delores maybe for a random reason? No, she didn't do that. Maybe it was… Tripp who after almost six months had finally gotten the balls to do something for me?

I leaned over and took in the scent of the roses. They were so beautiful and no thorns were anywhere in sight. That was a symbol of someone caring. Maybe it was Tripp. Maybe he finally took responsibility and he'd carry me off into the sunset. I tore open the card with Millie's name on it and flipped it over to reveal the small, crowded print.

_Georgie-girl,_

_I wanted to thank you for everything, not just helping me out last night. I know these are your favorites and I would have gotten more, but I didn't have the cash. I hope this is enough.  
__  
Mason_

I couldn't move. Mason? Mason had sent me flowers? Mason had sent me flowers _at work?_ I reread the little card over and over again and hadn't even become aware of Delores behind me.

"So who's Mason?" she asked and it caused me to cry out and whirl around.

"I… he… he's my roommate."

"A roommate who sends flowers? I don't think so."

"Really! We live together, that's it."

"You live together?" Delores asked and cocked an eyebrow. I was suddenly realizing just how bad this looked.

"We're friends! He was going through a rough time. We're…" I searched for a believable excuse, "in the same AA group." _Shit, now she thinks I'm seeing an alcoholic._

"Now, Millie, you know how I feel about your substance abuse and dating someone with the same problem probably isn't a good idea."

"We… help each other out. He was in a bad spot and I got him out of it so I guess he felt like he had to thank me or something."

Delores smiled with a knowing look and left me to gawk at the card for another few minutes. Mason. Mason had sent…me…flowers.

OPOV

"So what time is your reap?" Rube's voice floated over to Rosslyn as she sipped at the coffee Kiffany had brought her.

"Four thirty-ish."

"Any plans until then?"

"I was going to go home and sleep for a while. I'm still pretty wiped out from last night."

"Going back to your apartment?" he asked, and Rosslyn cocked an eyebrow. The apartment wasn't hers.

"I guess, why?"

He tossed her a set of keys, "go to mine. At least you won't have to worry about someone maybe sneaking up on you." She knew better though, Rube would never put her up in a place that there was even the slightest possibility that she'd be found out. Hell, he might even pay rent to that place.

"Why, where are you going?"

"I got stuff to do."

She looked at him and set down the coffee cup, "stuff?"

"I'll catch you later." He answered firmly and bustled out the door.

The hospital was on the complete other side of town and Rube hadn't been there since the day George had a reap there months ago. Hospitals made him nervous ever since he was alive because of Lucy and her doctors. Now, he made it a point to avoid them at all costs.

The front desk pointed him to the third floor and he stepped out from the elevator into the sterile hallway with a fierce scowl on his face. He hated this place. He hated the smell and what went on here, but he was on a mission. A tall, red haired woman sat at the information desk that looked up at him as he pulled off his hat and leaned against the counter.

"Is Penny on shift?"

"She's with a patient. Is it important?"

"Kind of, yeah."

"I'll page her." The woman said and indicated a row of chairs along one wall with a table of undoubtedly out-of-date magazines in front of them.

He sat and thumbed through a years old copy of Time when he saw the small, light brown haired nurse come though one of the doors. He stood and she caught sight of him, smiling.

"Hey, I haven't seen you in ages!" she shouted and they embraced in a short hug.

"You got a break comin' up? I need to talk to you."

Penny was intrigued by that, "I'm off shift in twenty minutes, can you hold out long enough for me to do my paperwork?"

Rube nodded, "Yeah."

Half an hour later they were walking down the street to some café that Penny frequented when she wasn't on duty. It was her group's version of Der Waffle Haus, though in Rube's opinion it lacked a certain cultural flair. The ordered drinks and sat in a booth on the back wall, secluded form the rest of the world for what Penny thought was going to be a conversation about their reaping duties.

"So what's up?" she asked, leaning on her elbow.

"Have you been talking to Ros for the last couple of months?"

_Shit, he knows._ She looked incredulous and fought to keep up her mask of innocence, "Why do you say that?"

"Because she's in town and said you talked to her."

"I might have called her a few times to check up on things, but-"

"Bullshit. What did you tell her?"

"I might have made a few comments that you hadn't been yourself since Rosie died. And she's in town, really? When is she coming to see me?"

"Don't fuck around with me, Penny, what did you tell her?"

"I told her she might want to come up and spent some time with you. I mean, you can't tell me you didn't want your old friend there to help you out."

"Why did you do it?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Again, bullshit. Why did you tell her to come up here. You didn't even know I was out of it."

"She hasn't been home in a while and I thought it might make you happy."

"Why? Because she has that effect on me, or what?"

"No, because you two are really close is all. Christ, I thought I was doing you a favor. She wanted to come down and the minute I mentioned you were probably upset she jumped all over me about what happened."

"Yeah well, apparently what's got me upset almost got her killed last night." Rube countered, his eyes cold as the waiter brought their cups of coffee to them.

"What happened last night? Did she have a reap?"

"Yeah, and it got to her pretty good too on my account. She said she 'got sloppy' and she almost bled to death in my car on the way back to my apartment."

"Well that's nothing abnormal for her, how many was there?"

"One."

Penny stopped and the stirrer in her coffee fell from her hands as her gaze shot up to meet Rube's, "one soul? Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Just one."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine, but it caused the both of us a hell of a time last night."

"Meaning what? Aside from the obvious, though."

"Meaning we stayed up half the night so I could make sure she wouldn't die and I… may have started thinking about some things."

Penny's lips started to tug upward into a smirk, "oh, like what?"

"You know damn fuckin' well what, Penny."

"And this is a bad thing?"

"I'm married, remember? I had a daughter?" Rube was pointing to the ring on his left hand that he hadn't taken off in upwards of eighty years.

"And I believe that part of the vows were 'til death do you part' and correct me if I'm wrong, but you're dead and apart."

He couldn't think of what to say to that. He'd loved Lucy with everything he'd had even though as her sickness got worse she seemed to love him less. It was for her that he'd died and he had no question that she was the love of his life, even though they weren't really…what was the word? Soul mates? They'd had a child together that he loved with every fiber of his being, and now both of them were dead. He was off the hook, and free of any ties to his life.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked finally.

"Well, you care about her don't you?"

"Bite your tongue. Just because I feel it doesn't mean I want to hear it."

"So do something about it."

_ Do something about it._ He ran a hand through his hair and stared into his coffee. It had been almost a century since he'd even dated. This was not going to go well. He wanted it to go well but he had the intimacy level of a tree stump, or so he thought. Penny put a hand on his arm and offered to help which he took, he needed everything he could get to pull this off.

"No one knows about this." It was an order and the twitch of Penny's smile was full blown into a grin.

"With pleasure."


	8. Surprise I

Chapter 7: Surprise I

OPOV

The afternoon wore on with a semi-reheated feel to it as if the day had been stopped and restarted about fifty times. As George flipped the top down from her car for the ride home she stopped, looked at the flowers strapped ever-so-neatly in the passenger seat and smiled. They had made the day more tolerable by every standard: typing repetitive statistics didn't bother her, the broken copy machine didn't bother her, hell, not even Dolores bothered her. That was a feat in itself.

It was a hazy kind of afternoon with a chill in it that made the ride slightly uncomfortable, but that just made her feel more alive. Well, as alive as a dead girl could feel anyway. Buildings passed by her car as they had every single day, but for some reason things felt different. Today she had felt as though she was still alive and nothing could touch her, almost as if she was detached from the world and looking in at a character. Oddly though, there was an odd feeling in her stomach that hadn't been there before and she wasn't sure why.

A red light made her come to a stop a few buildings away from a street corner. As her eyes wandered to watch the people walking her gaze settled on a car that looked familiar. Mason's car. She cocked an eyebrow and checked her watch, five fifteen. Did he have a reap? Was he just hanging around as he tended to do? Was he…oh god, was he buying drugs? She pulled over and shut off the ignition, just staring at the steering wheel. _No, not after that display last night_. That's crazy, he wouldn't do that.

George slid out of the car and pulled her signature blue trench closer to her in an effort to keep warm. He wasn't out on the street and sure as hell not in the car passed out from anything. _Where could he be?_ That was when she turned and looked through the glass front window of Fender's Rock 'n Roll. A smile plastered itself on her face as she saw, between the posters that is, Mason sitting on a stool, guitar in hand and strumming away on it looking very determined. It had to have been a good two or three minutes she stood there because he eventually put down the guitar as someone walked up and they started to talk. That was enough to shake her out of her thoughts and get back in the car, driving home.

_Mason plays guitar…_ It made her smile. He seemed the type to play with his British underground rock t-shirts, cutoff fingered gloves, mussed hair, five o'clock shadow and 'who gives a flying fuck?' attitude. With a glance to her flowers she rested her head on a fist that was attached to an arm leaning on the top of the door. It was nice to just be able to think as she drove home compared to when she was at Happy Time and coherent thought was replaced with filing and phone calls.

The house seemed empty as she pulled into the driveway. Her reap was a few hours off and she wanted a chance to go home and change out of what Mason liked to call her "Happy Time Combat Gear". The blouse and blazer were replaced with a t-shirt and her slacks were replaced with jeans. It was so nice to be in human clothes.

"Georgia? Are you home?" It was Daisy, home from wherever it was that Daisy did during the day.

"Upstairs!" George called as she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and headed down there stairs where she almost smashed into the blonde starlet.

"Oh, hey, I was just coming up to see you." Daisy started and her hands went to the ring around her neck. George could feel anger bubbling up from within her every time the blonde reached for that circlet of gold. Mason had given it to her out of sympathy the night before he'd come to live with them, but it bothered George that she still wore it. Why bother? She didn't have any feelings for the brit, so why would she fuck with his head like that? Did she know that it had eaten him up for the longest time?

"What, Daisy?" George asked, leaning against the banner, determined to not let her upstairs.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What…Daisy?"

"Have you and Mason…god, this sounds so stupid now that I think about, but… have you and Mason been sleeping together?"

George's mouth opened and her once folded arms fell to her sides as she gaped at her roommate. Had she no fucking class? Wait, she was an actress, of course she didn't when it came of these kinds of things. It was apparent that she had been pondering that for a while, maybe that was why she'd been so quiet and secretive. Had she been secretly trying to catch the two of them in some crazy situation?

"Why… do you ask that?"

"I saw you guys go up to your room the other night and he never came out. And he's always in there with you at night. Come on now, Georgia, you can tell me." She was flirting with George's angry side and that wasn't a place she wanted to be.

"No, we hang out before I go to bed. I don't know where he fucking goes at night! And why do you even care?"

"Just wondering."

"Just wondering my ass. What is it you really want to know, Daisy, because I know you don't think Mason and I are fucking?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to know. But since you asked… is there something going on that I should know about?" Daisy asked sweetly, leaning in as she often did when there was a chance of learning a really good secret.

"Oh, now that you mention it… come here," George beckoned her closer and the starlet leaned in, "closer," and leaned in more, "closer", more, "NO, THERE'S NOT ANYTHING YOU NEED TO FUCKING KNOW!" George yelled and it almost sent the other woman down the stairs.

"Well, you don't have to be so rude about it."

"I'm getting out of here" the younger girl stated, exasperated.

The reap was eerie: a young girl poisoned to death 'on accident' by her friends during an initiation ceremony to some club. Apparently the punch had been spiked by something other than vodka. George led the girl's soul away from the group who stood in horror at her unmoving body and put a hand on her shoulder, "so who didn't like you?"

"It was probably Beth, that bitch. Her boyfriend made a move on me a few weeks ago and she's been pissed at me ever since."

"Nice group of friends you got there."

"So, you're not joining then…Millie was it?"

"George. And no, I'm not."

"Your name is George?"

A bout of swirling lights kept George from answering that and was left alone as the girl disappeared. She hated that bit, the being left alone in the end. At least when the souls were around she seemed like the knowledgeable person instead of the kid who made mistakes. It always made her feel a little empty as she watched them go toward whatever it was that they went toward. But now, her real mission for the night was set to begin.

Fender's Rock 'n Roll was still open when George made it there. Thankfully Mason's car was gone and in the back of her mind she entertained the thought of him being home and Daisy asking him the same question George had almost punched her for earlier. Who the fuck was she to care if something was going on between them? What did she know? What… did she know? Was there something between them? Was it more than just random thoughts, flowers, and sleeping in the same bed?

She shook her head and pushed through the door, an annoying buzzer sounding her entrance. An older man stood behind the register and smiled at her. He seemed worn out and she slowly made her way to the counter, looking around at the various music equipment that was around the store.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me with something…"

The man smiled and put down the pen he held in one hand, "anything at all for a pretty young thing like you, miss." _Ew._

"There was a guy in here earlier today around five thirty. He's kind of tall, brown hair, blue eyes, British, was playing a guitar over by that window…"

"Mason? Yeah, he's in here all the time. What do you want to know?"

"Nothing about him, I know him; I was just wondering…can I see that guitar he was playing?"

"Sure." The man moved from behind the counter and George followed him to a row of guitars. He picked up a sleek, black one and held it out to her. It was beautiful. She held it for a moment before looking at the price tag. It was close to five hundred bucks.

"Why's it so expensive?"

"It's one of the best. I swear he's been in here almost every day for close to six months just playing on it. I keep trying to get him to buy it but he always says he moves around too much to spend all that cash on a guitar. Too bad though, he's damn good."

"So how much would it be with tax and everything?" George asked, looking down to her purse for a split second.

"Five fifteen and change. Are you his girlfriend or something?" the man asked as he took the guitar from her and eyed it.

"Me? No, I'm just a friend."

"Damn expensive gift for just a friend."

"I…look, just let me buy it okay?"

The man nodded and they went around to the front. Sure, George had taken on more hours at Happy Time and had more than enough money. Hell, Mason had taken it upon himself to pay the house bills last month so she had more than usual. Why not get him something he loved? He'd gotten her those flowers, right? Granted, this was a little more than just flowers but for some reason she wanted to buy it for him. She wanted to be the one to put this guitar in his hands so that every time he played it or looked at it he'd think of her. _Fuck, Daisy did get to me._

George paid the man and walked out to her car. The guitar rode shot gun to her and a smile, just a little half smile, had worked its way to her face. Her mind wandered at the thought of what she was doing, but even more to his reaction. What in god's name would she say when he asked her why she bought it? And how did she know to buy it?

The house came into view and she fought the urge to just drive around aimlessly for another hour or so. If Daisy were home they'd never live this tender moment down, and if she wasn't home she'd have to face Mason. Either way she was screwed.

Mason's car was in the drive as she pulled in and lugged the guitar case out from the front seat. She wanted to know if Daisy was home. She wanted to get Daisy out of the house. Hell, she paid for it most of the time and if no one liked the fact that she had a guitar they could just get out. Fuck them, right?

The kitchen was empty as she slowly walked in and quietly shut the door behind her. She left the guitar case leaning on the wall and started for the living room to see if anyone was around. The TV was on, but no one in the kitchen, and she didn't hear water running. Where were they?

The familiar British lilt of Mason's voice filled the air as he went to sit on the couch, not seeing George half hiding behind a shelf in the dining room. She heard something about both his 'flat mates' being gone and she breathed a sigh of relief. Daisy was out, thank god, so that left no one but her and Mason. A quick run to grab the guitar case and lean it against one of the darkened wall of the dining room let her walk into the other room. Mason smiled at her and held up a hand before hanging up the phone and greeting her with opening his arms.

"Hey, Georgie-girl."

She closed the distance between them and hugged him, sliding her arms around his waist. They stayed like that for a minute or so: George leaning over him with their arms around each other before she looked into his eyes and smiled. "They were beautiful."

He blushed a little, but tried to play dumb, "what were beautiful?"

"The flowers…"

"Ah, the flowers."

"Why though?"

He smiled and pulled her into his lap, smiling up into her face, "because, Georgie, you deserve something nice every once in a while."

Her mouth suddenly dried out and she ran a hand through her hair just once before sliding out of his lap. What now? Did she give him the guitar just like that? Did she bring up what Daisy had asked her? Did she go on like nothing had happened?

"Was Daisy home when you got here?"

"Yeah, I don't know what's going on with that bird, really. She's been acting like a right wanker all week then she… well, she asked me some really weird shit today."

George nodded, "Yeah, I know. What did she ask you?"

"Why?"

"Because she asked me some weird shit earlier too and I want to know if she asked you the same thing."

"What'd she ask you?"

"First or second?"

"Christ, there was more than one fucking question?"

"First she asked if we were sleeping together."

Mason answered that with an even look and the narrowing of those deep, blue eyes that George had grown to love to look into. He was speechless for a moment before erupting into nervous, choked laughter and ran a hand through his mussed hair. A moment of silence followed and he looked back to George," what was the bloody second question, then? Did she want to know the bloody size of my dick as well?"

"No, nothing like that. I told her that we weren't then she asked if…there was something going on between us."

Mason didn't move. George slowly backed away from him and leaned against a bookcase, her eyes locked into his the whole time. They just stared for what seemed like hours before he stood up and closed the distance between them.

"Did she ask you that too?" George asked, her voice coming out in a squeak that she didn't recognize.

They were close. Mason stood before her and caught her chin with one finger, tilting it up to look down into her eyes. A blush crept across her cheeks as she looked up at him and she bit at her lip, "did she?"

"Is there something between us, Georgie-girl?" Mason asked in a soft voice and she felt her heart do a strange flip-flop.

They stood there, his hand tilting her chin up and looking into each other's eyes for a long moment. He smiled down to her and the same hand moved to pull the rubber band from her hair and let it fall in those dark blonde waves that suited her so well. Long fingers ran through the wealth of hair that framed her face and he bent his head to hers.

"I'm home! Where is everybody?" Daisy called and they both heard the back screen door clatter shut.

The two separated and Mason took a few breaths, running his hands through his hair in a 'what the fuck did I just do?' fashion. George merely stood there, her eyes wide. Daisy entered and looked at them, "did I miss something?"

"No…no, you didn't." Mason managed to say and went back to the couch, flipping through the channels.

Daisy looked to George who shrugged and quickly tied her hair back up and joined Mason, on the other side mind you, of the couch. They sat there for a while and Daisy joined them. Small talk was made for about an hour and Daisy went off to her room to 'moisturize and exfoliate'. That left the two of them alone.

"Popcorn?" George asked, looking over to Mason and they smiled as if nothing had gone on.

Their trek to the kitchen made George's heart race and she sent a glance to the black guitar case that was thankfully hidden in the darkness. Popcorn and soda was brought up to her room as per normal and they sat around talking about the day.

"So I saw your car at that Fender's place. You go in there?" she asked, popping open a can on Coke and taking a drink.

"Yeah, almost everyday, do you know it?"

"I… yeah, my sister got some drums from there a while ago." She lied.

"God, there's this beautiful six string in there that I swear to god I'd fuck it if it were possible." Mason mused.

"Really now?"

"Yeah, man. Jerry keeps trying to get me to buy it, but I don't have that kind of fucking money, especially when I was squatting from place to place. Hell no, I wasn't going to leave that gorgeous thing in some bloke's apartment and have his family or some shit come in there and boost it from me!"

"I'll… be right back…" George excused herself and ran downstairs, grabbing guitar and leaned it just outside the door of her room before going back in.

"So… why did you really send me those flowers, Mason?"

"Like I said, you deserved something nice and I wanted to give them to you because of, you know, last night."

The flowers were on her dresser across from the bed and she glanced over at them, "they made my day, seriously."

"Good to know."

"So…is the real reason why you won't get that guitar because you kept moving around?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, you're not moving around anymore…"

"Just not until you or Daisy decides to kick my sorry ass to the curb."

"What kind of 'wankers' do you take us for?" she purposely used her fake British accent and made air quotes around his slang. That prompted a smile from him and he took a handful of popcorn from the bowl between them.

"What are you trying to tell me, Georgie?"

She got up and walked to the door, leaning out and took hold of the guitar case. _This is it…fuck…_ She poked her head back in to see him staring at her with probably the most confused face she'd ever seen a person, let alone a man wear. It was downright fucking adorable. The guitar was heavier than it was when she had brought it up, or maybe that was her nerves in dire attempt to make her look like a jackass. Either way she stumbled a bit as she pulled the case into the room and presented it in front of her.

"Bloody fucking hell…" Mason said quietly and looked from the case back up to her, "what is that?"

"This is my way of telling you that you're not going anywhere."

Mason stumbled out of her bed and clamored over to run his hands over the material in disbelief. His expression was filled with shock, or awe, or both. George merely took a step back once the case was in his hands, leaned on the door frame with her arms crossed and smiled. He looked like a kid on Christmas who'd gotten his first bike, or hell a pony. This guitar was his pony.

"Georgie …Georgie…" he said her name over and over as he unzipped the case and pulled out his long-adored six string and stared at it.

"My only request is that if you do try to have sex with it that you tell me first so I can get the hell out of the house."

"Fuck…Georgie, this is amazing!" He yelled and pulled her into a hug.

She smiled and hugged him back, "so play something…"

He paused and ran his hands over the black paint, "No, not tonight. I've been working on something and I want it to be a surprise since you did this for me. Christ, how did you fucking know?"

"I went in there after my reap and asked the guy. I saw you there earlier and just…wanted to get it for you."

"You really are great, George."

"So now if Daisy tries to kick you out you have a reason to stay."

"Fuck yeah, I do." And he hugged her again.


	9. What About Love?

Chapter 8: What About Love?

Rube POV

It was so late. Hell, it was so late, it was early. I hadn't slept in three nights and it was starting to show. This was fucking worse than the normal insomnia, at least with that I could read a book and fall asleep after a couple of hours. No, this was something completely different and I couldn't figure out what it was. My mind was racing over nothing and yet I was so bored. Nothing interested me, but I had no desire to just lie around. _Fuck, what is wrong with me…_

I kept thinking about Penny and what she'd said about still being married, _"And I believe that part of the vows were 'til death do you part' and correct me if I'm wrong, but you're dead and apart."_ It was true. Lucy had been dead for almost seventy years and now Rosie was gone too. It ate me up and for the last few months nothing had eased the pain I was in. I sighed to myself and tossed back the sheets to my bed and went over to the dresser. A picture of Lucy rested on the top of it and I stared at it for a long time. My mind wandered back to when I was alive, when she was alive…

"_Hey, babe, how're you feeling?" I asked as I sat down beside her._

"_How do you think I'm feeling? I dying, remember? A slow and painful death? That's how I'm feeling, Rube." She answered in a cold voice as she kept her eyes forward and refused to look at me._

"_Where's Rosie?"_

"_I have no clue, why don't you go find that little brat? I'm tired of chasing after her."_

_I reached out for her hand but she pulled away and turned to look at me. Her once bright eyes were lifeless and cold as she stared. She was so beautiful once, but now the disease had taken that freshness from her face and she looked old. _

"_Alright." I said in my gentlest voice and got up just as she burst into tears. _

_I could hear her as I walked away from the little nook where her bed was, sobbing into her hands and begging God to take her. I couldn't stand to hear her talk like that. Wasn't I good enough for her anymore? Wasn't Rosie her pride and joy as she was mine? I loved her with all my heart, but she refused to love me back. Ever since the day she found out she was sick she blamed me and I blamed myself. Maybe if I hadn't proposed and begged her to marry me she'd be healthy and married to someone she really loved. I wasn't the man for her, was I?_

"_Rube?" she called in a wavy, heartbroken voice._

"_Yes, baby?"_

"_The bill collector called again…"_

"_I know."_

I shook my head at the memory. It always made me sick inside to think back to the days just before I died. My gaze went down to the gold band on my left ring finger. It was my anchor for most of my afterlife. I had told myself that I was married to the one woman I'd ever be married to in that life or the next and that there was no one else in the world good enough to take her place. Maybe I was wrong.

Light filtered in through the gauzy curtains and I stared long and hard at my left hand. Nothing made me happy anymore. I couldn't find anything that made me feel as though I was living; I just felt empty. At least I did, I realized, until Rosslyn had come back to town.

She was my closest friend and I'd known her for almost fifty years. She'd never lied to me or said anything ill willed or angry to me. I trusted her with everything just as a close friend should. I suppose in some ways she'd become my anchor when I know she'd swear up and down it was the other way around. I'd always felt the need to protect her in almost a fatherly figure when we'd first met, but within the last few years that had started to change.

What was the point in hanging on to something that was close to a century finished? Lucy was gone and I had every right and opportunity to live my afterlife in whatever way I saw fit. Sure, I had to be on the periphery, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it. No, I wasn't going to spend the rest of however long I had left contemplating and feeling sorry for what had happened to me when I was alive. I couldn't figure out where the change in me hand come from. Was it what Penny had said? Was it just me finally waking up? Was it Ros' presence? I couldn't say, but it did feel kind of empowering.

The ring slid off with ease though it hadn't left my hand in ninety years if you included while I was alive. I felt weird without it, almost naked in a sense. That was the one part of me that had remained constant since I died and now it was changing. I put the ring down beside her picture and looked at the two. It looked so small and insignificant just sitting there, but the smallest things have the greatest significance.

OPOV

Der Waffle Haus was busy that morning as Ros and the rest of the reapers walked in. Kiffany bustled about, but still took the time to greet them as they came by in her normal fashion. Roxy got there first, as usual, and then Daisy who slid in next to her, Mason and George rode together that morning and trailed in, then Rosslyn who pulled up a chair and sat the end of the table which had become her custom. Rube greeted each of them with a nod and they ordered.

Two bowls of oatmeal, four cups of coffee, three waffles, some eggs, bacon, juice and toast later the reapers ate whilst making small talk among themselves. Roxy had adopted a cat from an animal shelter the night before and smiled at the fact that she'd have a friend at the house now. Daisy and Rosslyn talked about getting together to go shopping, which shocked a couple of the reapers that they'd hang out, but they ignored the confused faces and even laughed a few times. Mason and George argued quietly and playfully about who's turn it had been to do dishes and had apparently left a sizeable amount in the sink the night before. Rube ate quietly and watched his group, smiling at the atmosphere.

"Hey, boss man, you awake or what?" Rosslyn teased and tossed a crumpled up napkin at her friend.

Rube shook his head and smiled, the first genuine smile any of them had seen in days and threw it back at her, "I'm awake, just listening to you all."

She dropped her head to take a bite of her eggs, but kept her gaze on him. They locked eyes for a moment and she smiled before turning back to Daisy about their shopping date. George made some crack about Rube's apparent lack of sleep which prompted him to mock glare at her. Yes, things were definitely looking up.

"Okay, boys and girls, there's work to be done." Rube announced in his 'boss man' tone and handed out the morning Post-Its.

"Fuck, another airport reap? Are you kidding me?" Roxy sighed and put on her hat, tossing down a handful of cash to pay for her breakfast before sliding out of the booth and turned to leave, "it's rush hour, I'm so boned."

Mason looked down at his Post-It, then over to George's, "Oi, are we at the same place?"

George nodded, but looked over at Rube, "where the hell is this? I've never heard of this place."

"Out of town, I think it's somewhere by a lake. You know, where you went on that retreat with Happy Time."

"Oh…damn."

Mason smiled and nudged the blonde's shoulder with his, "Georgie and I get to go on a road tip? Fuck yeah, man!"

"This is not a road trip and I swear to God if you screw anything up I'll find another drill and scramble your head again." Rube countered in a warning tone to which Mason answered with a grin.

"I shall do my best, your majesty."

Rosslyn burst out laughing as she sipped her coffee at that. Mason turned to her and smiled that impish grin, his trademark. George laughed as well and settled back into the vinyl covering of the booth. Daisy mused something about leaving as she too put down money for her breakfast and left in a whirl of perfume.

Rosslyn slid in next to Rube and the four sat for a while, them Mason and George left to get ready for "the greatest road trip ever." This earned a smile from Ros and a glare from Rube as they paid their check and went back out to George's car. Silence engulfed the two reapers left and hung heavy just above them.

"So what's got you in such a good mood?" Rosslyn asked, who couldn't help notice the turn around in his personality.

Since he'd gone to 'do stuff' a few days ago he'd been almost moping around, angry and tense. She'd stayed away and slept at the apartment, leaving him to his own devices. It had been hard because she knew something was up and that she couldn't do anything.

"Nothing, just woke up and was in a good mood." Rube answered and turned to her, his dark eyes looking square into hers for the first time in days.

"Good to hear, you had me worried for a while…"

"I'm fine."

"Reap this morning?"

"No, you?"

"No… you know I don't work this time of the month, I like keeping my un-life thank you."

Ah, Valentine's Day. It was a mere two days away and none of the group had mentioned anything. Granted the restaurant was covered in pink, red and white, but for some reason it held really no special place in reaperdom aside from the fact that it was a really busy season. Jilted lovers killed themselves, accidents caused from badly cooked romantic dinners murdered many, and the occasional late night drive to either have sex or make out ended in a violent crash. Yes, it really was one of the most hectic times.

"I forgot you never worked this holiday."

"Souls rot at their own pace, but for some reason Valentine's Day seems to speed up the process tenfold and I have no desire to try and take care of any of that while they're that strong."

"So what're you going to do instead?" It wasn't a business related question.

Rube's voice had changed to the quiet, caring tone he only used with her. This sent a little jolt to her insides and caused her to straighten up in the chair and lean in on her elbows, "I don't know. I've never really done anything… I guess that was the price of never being courted when I was alive."

"So why not start now?"

"Come on, Rube, by my time's standards I was an old maid. I was twenty-six, unmarried with no kids and no prospects as to love. I don't care how long I've been reaping, it stuck in my head. Besides, I'm not good at the whole dating thing."

"So go out with someone you know and skip the hassle of having to get to know someone new."

"Like who?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, I have no experience whatsoever. At least you were married and have some kind of insight to this."

"That doesn't mean you're not desirable. Come on, you're a beautiful woman and any guy would be lucky to have you on his arm."

"Well, thanks, but I'm not one to go and ask random people to go out with me."

"Okay, so…why don't we do something then?" Rube asked quickly, almost trying to sneak it in under the radar.

Rosslyn stopped and looked at her old friend. That was something he never did. Never. _The fuck is going on here?_ She kept her eyes on him as they talked for another hour or so. Something really was different. What had happened to make him wake up like that? It bothered he, not in a bad way, but it made her curious as to what exactly was going on. Then she noticed.

His wedding band was gone. He never took that off, never in all the time she'd known him had that ever left his finger. Something had to have seriously fucked with his head to do that. Whatever it was was big, too. She could have been bleeding all over his hand and he would never stop to take it off despite what damage it could have done to the gold. Yes, this was a sign that needed to be attended to.

"Your ring…" she started, reaching a hand out to touch his finger to see if maybe it had just turned invisible.

"I…I took it off."

She blinked, "why? You never take it off, never."

"I woke up this morning and realized that my marriage was over. Hell, if I had been alive it would have been over eventually anyway. To quote a friend once, 'Your vows include 'til death do you part' and you're dead and apart.' I'm not going to spend the rest of my afterlife pissing and moaning about what happened while I was alive. It didn't keep Rosie alive any longer and it won't bring Lucy back." He explained as he too looked down at his bare hand and felt a shudder of cold echo through his heart as he spoke.

Rosslyn could almost feel it too. Was her anchor changing as well? Was this a first look at him coming to peace with things and moving on while she stayed back? _Don't be stupid._

"I see…" she had no idea what to say to that? What does one say? "Yeah, you were pretty hung up about that, so now that you've finally admitted that you're single would you like to go fuck like rabbits in the back of my car?" Yeah, that was definitely out of the question. Funny, but out of the question.

"You look shocked."

"I am shocked."

"Lucy was… the love of my life, but I finally came to terms with the fact that she wasn't my soul mate. I mean, the likelihood that I'll actually find her is pretty small, but my refusing to face facts wasn't helping any."

"I…okay." Again, she was speechless.

"So…Valentine's Day then? You and me?"

"You're…asking me out on a date, you do realize this, right?"

"I am fully aware."

"Okay, just so you know."

--

The airport was just as crowded as ever. People bustled about and Roxy stared down at her Post-it with a look that would have made a man-eating tiger who'd just seen a juicy steak get on with what it was doing. Traffic had been horrible and she was already pissed off. She could only hope that it wasn't another crazy foreign bitch getting crushed by a suitcase this time around and something short and sweet so she could get the hell out of there.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your bags are on their way right now so it should be only another few minutes." A familiar voice called out as Roxy turned to see a security guard holding a clipboard.

She smiled and turned to walk over to him. Upon seeing her he smiled as well and nodded in her direction. People pushed back as the carousel started and bags poured from the shaft down tot heir waiting hands. It was luggage-hell and apparently she was the one who was escorting some poor idiot out of it.

"Hey, I remember you. You were here the day that woman got killed." He said as he came up alongside Roxy, " Here just in case something else happens like that…officer?"

"No, just a routine check, William was it?"

"You do remember."

"Yeah, can I see the passenger list, please?"

He handed it over and she flipped through. Her reap, A. Jameson, was listed and she smiled before handing back the clipboard to William. They stood in silence for a while as the luggage made its way around.

"Excuse me, I need the following passengers to please identify themselves!" Roxy called, " J. Thomas, P. Applewhite, A. Jameson, and W. Collier please identify yourselves."

The names called out were met with the raising of hands and the cop went over to A. Jameson and looked him over. She was met with slight confusion, but a lie about something to do with random screenings and the presentation of ID eased him. She shook his hand and felt the familiar brush of popping his soul then made her way back to William.

"So, what're your plans for the holiday?" he asked.

"Holiday?"

"Valentine's Day. The celebration of love and all its meanings. Got a date…Roxy?" he asked as he lowered his head to read her nametag.

"I work Valentine's Day, it's a busy day for me."

"I see…so cops are busy huh?"

She looked confused for a second then covered it with a nervous laugh, "yeah, it can be."

"So, you're busy that night too then, huh?"

"I don't know, why do you ask?"

"I'd like to take you out. Could I get your number?"

Roxy blinked a few times before nodded and giving it to him. She didn't stick around after that to see the death, but met the soul at the front entrance. She had a date. She hadn't had a date in…years.

--

"Georgie, did you grab the cds?" Mason called as he tossed a blanket into the backseat of his car.

"Got 'em! What else do we need?"

"I think we got the whole lot, let's burn this baby!" he yelled as he made the death metal sign with his right hand.

George looked at him for a long moment with a "you're such an idiot" face which prompted Mason to slide an arm around her and smile. She smiled back as Mason pulled his keys from the pocket of his jacket and they settled in for the two-and-a-half hour ride.

"I don't see why we didn't take my car.." George whined as they pulled onto the highway and Mason swerved to avoid hitting a van.

"Because yours is a convertible and no offense, but I'd like to keep all of my appendages, thank you."

"Yeah well, with your driving we just might get killed…again." She yelled as he changed lanes and was honked at from behind.

The car behind them pulled alongside Mason's blue mercury and rolled down the window, screaming obscenities. The brit rolled his down too, flipped off the other driver and screamed something out along the lines of "sod off, you fucking wanker!" George blinked and one hand went to the 'oh shit bar'. This was definitely going to be a trip to remember.

They kept quiet as the drove for a while, both trying to keep the topic off of what had happened the night before. Mason has thanked her countless times that morning for the guitar and even caught up the nerve to kiss her cheek for a mere second, but neither one of them fought to bring up what had happened just before Daisy had come home. Not to mention what might have happened if she hadn't.

"So, this week is the big V-Day. Got any plans?" Mason asked, in a nonchalant tone, turning his gaze to George.

"Rube'll have us on overtime, I'm sure. Remember last year? That guy choked that girl with those candy hearts? God, that was ugly…" George mused and leaned her head against the window.

"So not much for the celebrating, eh?"

Not really. My whole…romantic…whatever's been out of whack for a while." That was a lie. Her romantic 'whatever' was just fine as long as it concerned one certain person. Yesterday proved that.

"Why's that, Georgie?"

"You know…Tripp, that whole thing…kind of turned me off of romance for a while."

"So you're still on that, then?"

"Come on, Mason, he fucked me over…literally."

"True...look, I'm sorry about that one. It was kind of my fault that he was at the house. I told him to go talk to you…I never thought he'd do…that to you."

"It wasn't your fault. I was the idiot who let him do it."

Mason paused and moved his hand from the bottom of the steering wheel to slide over and clasp hers. She looked down at their hands, then over to him. He turned his head for a second and smiled; neither of them made a move to let go of hands. A smile bubbled over in George's heart and she could feel herself starting to blush. Mason too looked a little pink, but she decided to not say anything about it.

"You know if I'd known I never would have told him..." Mason started.

"I know. Don't worry about it."

"So…maybe, we could…do something to maybe get your mind off of that?"

George's head snapped to look over at him. He wasn't fucking with her, it was a genuine question. _Fuck, fuck, fuck…did he just ask me on a date?_ She opened her mouth a few times, but nothing came out. She managed a nod and a smile which was met with a squeeze from his hand. They were silent the rest of the drive, but when they finally stopped and got out of the car Mason grabbed George's hand.

"You don't have to go with me if you don't want to…I'm sure there's enough of those Happy Time blokes who'd love a chance to take you out.."

"No…I want to go. I really do." George answered and took her turn squeezing his hand.

They walked toward the campgrounds hand in hand, looking over at one another every few steps and smiling nervous smiles. He was adorable, she was adorable, their nerves were adorable. But what did it mean?


	10. Be Mine

Chapter 9: Be Mine

MPOV

Oh, good fucking Christ. Bloody fucking Christ, how could this have fucking happened? Just because fucking Rube doesn't have anywhere to be tonight doesn't mean the rest of us fucking don't. How could he have done this to me? How could he have fucking done this?

I stared down at my Post-It that afternoon after lunch. Everyone else was off doing their thing and fucking Rube had decided it would be a fun idea to call me in and give me a nice stack of about four reaps to do before the end of the fucking day. I stared at him and could feel the frustration mounting in spades.

"Uh, Rube, I can't do this one. I have plans tonight and I won't get there on time if I'm-"

"I don't want to hear it. You know today's one of out busiest. Besides, I'm sure whatever it is you have to do isn't that fucking important anyway." Rube countered in a warning tone.

He was agitated, I could tell. What caused this bloody change? He switched personalities like they were underwear or some shit: one day he's a bowl of fucking rainbows and the next he's out to rip you a new asshole. The last three days he was actually being semi-decent to us and today it was like someone had shoved a very large spiked rod up his ass.

"You don't understand…" I started, sitting in front of him to try and plead my case.

"I do understand. But this is your job and nothing is more important than your _job_. No excuses." He was firm and respectable with a 'fuck with me and I'll kill you' attitude.

"I am so viciously fucked, do you know that?" I asked him.

"I don't care if you're fucking a supermodel, Mason, get the job done." He was immovable.

Get the job done. Yeah, right. Here I was the one chance I had to prove that I wasn't just like every other bloke on the street and he gives me reason to act the asshole. God, this was so screwed up. I couldn't let this happen.

"Fine, you know what? Just bloody fucking fine!" I yelled as I grabbed my coat and headed for the car.

The second I walked in the door I ran into Daisy, dressed in an impeccable white and red pantsuit. She looked like a candy heart. I smiled warily at her and turned to go upstairs when she turned to look up and open her mouth.

"That's George's room you're going up to…I don't think she wants you in there."

"She…doesn't care, Daisy. I've got things to do and I left something upstairs."

"Oh come on, Mason. Don't lie to me. Why are you going into her room?"

"Leave me fucking alone, Daisy, I have a lot to do today and this isn't helping…" I moaned before charging upstairs, going into George's room and shutting the door.

_She has to have one of those bloody cards…._ I dug through the drawers and everything I could find before I finally pulled out the small piece of cardboard. Score. Then it took me another ten minutes to hunt through the rest of the debris for the phone. I dialed quickly and tapped a finger nervously on the dresser as it rang a few times.

"Happy Time Temp Agency, how may I help you?"

"Crystal? Thank god, I really need to talk to Geor- err, Millie please."

"She's left for the day, may I take a message?"

"Left for the day? Where's she gone?"

"Something about an appointment, may I take a message?"

"No, it won't do any fucking good." I yelled and slammed down the phone.

_So viciously fucked…so very, very fucked…_I tore through the house in hopes to find anything that would help me before I stopped to lean against the chair. Daisy was in her room, thank God, so I didn't have to listen to her. My first reap of the afternoon was in an hour and I had no way of getting hold of George. She was going to kill me. I was going to bloody kill myself…again.

The first reap was clean, thank God. Some poor sap trying to make a 'love potion' from instructions in a magazine…turns out he was highly allergic to the cinnamon in it. If I wasn't in such a crappy mood I would have found it astoundingly funny, but every minute took me closer and closer to what I was dreading most.

How could Rube give me a reap tonight? How? I mean, I had the whole thing planned out, right? See, there was going to be a candlelight dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in the fucking city, wine and good food, then go out dancing, really show Georgie-girl that I wasn't just some recently sober fuck up. I had it planned out, man, and I never plan things out. This just proves why.

OPOV

Roxy had taken the day off early. Her reaps had been early this morning and it was really sad: some couple had stayed the night at a hotel and decided to take a dip in the private pool. Turned out the girlfriend had a little more planned and tried to drown her lover, but ended up crushed beneath him in the shallow end. Damn, it was a shame.

She stood in front of the mirror in her apartment with all her clothes laying out on the bed. It had been twenty years since her last date and she had no fucking clue what to wear tonight. She'd met this guy one other time, on a reap for God's sake. _He must think I'm some kind of bad luck charm, or something…_

Finally she decided on a black dress, kind of fancy without the 'I'm really desperate' look to it. For some reason she was nervous. On the one hand she really liked him, but on the other she was a reaper and reapers couldn't date the living. Sure, the inevitable one night stand would happen, but an actual date or relationship was out of the question. And Rube was adamant about that.

MPOV

The afternoon went by way too fast. Three reaps, a cappuccino, five calls to the restaurant, and getting pulled over for speeding made the day start off just as every one should Damn, I hated Valentine's Day. It had never gone right for me when I was alive, and hadn't since I died so why should it start now? I could remember trying to make cookies once for this girl and almost burned down the house, then she went of and shagged my best friend. That was only the start. But this time I had made a decision to do things right and look at me.

I took the ticket from the cop and looked down at it. Bloody fines…and he had the nerve to tell me to 'have a nice day." I'd have a nice day when I saw someone run over his scrawny ass.

Thank god, I still had a couple of hours and George would undoubtedly be off doing her reaps . This gave me enough time to sit and plan out what would probably be my one chance to impress her. I mean, she dated a country club kid and he fucked her over so that had to give me a leg up, yeah? I stopped for moment and took a moment to think, yes really think. That was bloody brilliant!

A smile wormed its way over the scowl I wore and I coasted into the driveway of the house. A few phone calls later I plopped myself down on Georgie's bed with that beautiful guitar and started to play.

RPOV

Mason had royally pissed me off, and I was already stressed out enough. Today was The Day. I mean, I wasn't nervous or anything, but I really wanted things to go well. Rosslyn and I had plans to meet at Chez Mortal, but for a very different reason tonight. This was the first time I'd see her as something more than just a friend and that scared me shitless. Not because I was afraid of seeing her any other way, but because this would be the first time in a near century that I'd put myself out there completely with nothing to fall back on. Surely she'd see that.

I stared down at the formica tabletop and silently prayed that I wouldn't make an ass out of myself. The last first date I had been on had ended with me making an ass out of myself and I really didn't want for that to happen again. Usually when my train of thought started heading this direction I'd feel the urge to go outside and have a smoke, but today was different on many levels.

I had woken up with the realization that most probably feel after divorce. I was completely alone in that bed as I had been since I died and had been since before I died. Today though, it hurt for some reason. My left had felt odd, like a part of it had been taken away and I was feeling the after effects of its loss. My heart, too, was mourning a loss that hadn't been dealt with in ages. Today just sucked. Well, it did for now anyway.

Kiffany had earned a lofty tip from me for that hour I spent just staring off into space, and she met my eyes with a knowing smile. For some reason all of the women who'd known me for years thought that Ros and I should have 'gotten together' years ago. Apparently she was perfect.

My mind wandered as I walked outside and headed for home. I put together my pipe and lit it, taking a few drags. The familiar walk to my apartment let me go on autopilot and I found myself thinking back to the picture of Lucy and Rosie that I had back on my dresser. My mind's eye lingered on Lucy's once beautiful face, but then her features changed. Black straight hair turned into auburn ringlets, the petite frame turned into a taller more curvaceous one and dark brown eyes turned into brighter hazel ones. Lucy's likeness became Rosslyn's in that picture in my mind. Suddenly a simple memory of Lucy coming outside to yell for Rosie turned into Rosslyn stopping down to scoop my daughter into her arms before turning to look at me. In my mind, I was awed at the audacity of my thoughts, but my heart warmed at the idea. She would have made the perfect wife.

It was a shame that she never saw marriage in life. Whatever man had the right mind to get to her first would have been lucky. Ironically in her time twenty-six was grounds for being called an 'old maid' whereas now she was just a young woman with nothing to tie her down. That always got to her, the fact that if she had lived in this time she wouldn't have been thought odd to wait to marry. Then again, when she had been alive she wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to marry anyway.

I wanted to surprise her tonight as no one ever had. She deserved only the best and I wanted to give it to her. Between fighting off vicious souls and having to deal with my bullshit she deserved something nice. I had calls to make and plans to decide on. I just hoped it would be good enough to really not make me look like a jackass.

OPOV

Roxy pulled up at the restaurant William had said to meet at when it struck eight on the nose. She was beautiful that night, anyone would have said so. Her hair was down, falling in waves to her shoulders instead of being pulled back as I always was and she looked incredibly feminine in the dress she had picked out earlier in the day. Yes, she was a reaper with no Post-It, no agenda and butterflies in her stomach the size of UFOs.

William greeted her with a rose once she walked into the elegant wooden doors of the restaurant. He wore a simple black suit, but his smile upped the wattage of his attractiveness. Her heart did a weird flip-flop move as she took the rose and he kissed her hand. This was definitely not her scene. Yeah, she liked him and had since she'd met him the first time but this fancy shit didn't do anything for her aside from looking like a lady.

MPOV

I was running later than I had planned. Granted yes, I had a reap in twenty minutes and still had to get dressed for the night, but I still had two stops to make. One was to the restaurant where I had planned to eat with George. The other was the new surprise.

I ran up the front desk of the restaurant and was met with an downcast look by the wanker in the fancy coat, "Hi, I had a reservation tonight at nine. The name was Mason and it was for two? I need to cancel it, but my date's still going to be coming here tonight, an I want to leave her something, yeah?"

He looked annoyed, "So, you want us to cancel the reservation, but keep an eye out for your date."

"Yes."

"And give her something?"

"Yeah."

"And what would this something be?"

I pulled out a pile of yellow Post-Its from my pocket and a pen. It only took a minute, but I tore the top one off and handed it to the man who looked from it to me with an annoyed, but slightly intrigued look on his face, "there, this should be all. Her name is George and she's blonde with brown eyes. She'll be alone and here around nine, yeah?"

"Yes…sir." The man said and put the Post-It does beside him. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. It was bloody unbelievable that people looked at you funny when you were trying to do something romantic. This though, would have to be trusted that he'd really do it, and to make my point a little easier to understand I slid a fifty dollar bill his way and he smiled a knowing smile before I left on my other errand.

I left the car running as I ran in the building and talked to a few friends for a moment. Yes, it took greasing a few more palms but, by god, I would do this right. I didn't know why I felt like I had to do this right, but I really did.

I think I got to my reap bloody seconds before it happened. Thankfully it was easy to find and my girl was the only one around. Sad, being hit by a car, but things like that happened. Shit, I was still late. I changed in the car into a pair of black jeans and a Stones shirt. Hopefully this would make a statement, not the clothes, but the act. I was fucking scared out of my wits on this one.

OPOV

Dinner had gone well and the glasses of wine were starting to make Roxy a little more relaxed. She laughed like she hadn't in days with William and she felt good about things. He was sweet, patient as hell, kind hearted and handsome to boot. Secretly though, she wondered what exactly was wrong with him.

"So, you like being a cop?"

"It's a change…I was a meter maid before that."

He burst out laughing, "a meter maid? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it was a suck-ass job, but it paid the rent. I only had to deal with assholes on a daily basis, get chewed out for bullshit reasons, and get told I'd make a better cop for over five years before I decided to switch it up."

"Well, you do a good job. But man, did you luck out the other day when I saw you…some poor guy was attacked by the drug dogs after you left. He was smuggling something and the damn near ripped off his head…killed the guy."

"Wow…that's a shame, isn't it?"

"So…I was wondering something…"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to go out again after tonight or are you just never going to answer your phone again?"

"I…sure." She couldn't believe herself.

"Good."

GPOV

He was late. Well, that was nothing new, Mason was always late. I swear, he would have been late for his own reaping if someone hadn't found him first. I had taken the time to dress up, too. Okay, so Daisy had helped me out a little and I ended up lying to her and telling some story about Dolores taking me to some party to meet a guy. I mean, though, this was some serious girlie shit and he wasn't there to appreciate it.

The guy at the desk eyed me. Hell, I must have looked better than I thought. My hair was curled for the first time in my life and I wore an actual dress, nay, 'a little black dress.' This was sexy, and I knew it, so where the fuck was Mason?

"Excuse me, ma'am, but are you…George?" the guy at the desk asked.

I turned, it had been almost fifteen minutes and no one had even talked to me, let alone try and seat me. I nodded and he motioned for me to come over so I did and leaned against the marble of the desk, "yeah?"

"A Mr. Mason, I believe he was your date for the evening left this for you." And he handed me a Post-It.

_Shit, Rube made him break our date so I could do a fucking reap? No way, this is bullshit._ I looked down, but it wasn't Rube's writing. It was Mason's now familiar scrawl, but the layout was reminiscent of our reap Post-Its. Did he take one down at Rube's order for me? No, Rube would never do that. It was probably against some rule and we all knew just how straight arrow Rube was so that was out of the question. Something was amiss though, there wasn't a name on my Post-It. Yeah, this was definitely not Rube's doing.

_The Highball  
113 W. Mansfield Ln.  
E.T.D. 9:30_

What the hell was that? Yeah, this was just a little weird. No name and I had fifteen minutes to get there. What was going to happen? Was the whole place going to go up and I had to take every fucking soul in there? Christ, this was NOT what I had envisioned for the evening.

The Highball was a grungy little club on the west end of town. It had every bit the vibe of a Rock 'n Roll hellhole; Mason would love it. I got a few looks as I sauntered in the door with my little dress, high heels and curious eyes, but no one said anything. It was crowded for such a crappy little place, especially on Valentine's Day. My watch read nine twenty-five. I had five minutes to find my reap, but had no name and nothing to go on. So, I sat down and ordered a drink in hopes that someone would keel over and I'd get their soul then.

A young guy dressed in a vintage Beatles t-shirt got up on their little stage and signaled for everyone's attention. I say signaled, but all he really did was whistle really loud and everyone turned to make sure nothing was on fire. I had actual hopes that someone was. He stood up there and looked actually a little lost amongst the torn curtain and microphone. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with my reap it would have actually been funny.

"Okay, guys, we have an old friend of mine playing tonight. He's never been in front of an audience before, so be nice to him. Oh, he also wanted me to tell his lady friend that this was the big surprise." The guy announced, leaning down into the microphone and some larger biker-esque looking guy brought out a pretty ragged looking barstool.

The lights dimmed for moment and I snuck a look at my watch in the fading light, nine thirty on the dot. So where was my reap? Everyone looked fine aside from the slightly intoxicated looks they all wore. Where was my reap? I turned back to the stage, who knew, maybe he'd have a heart attack or something and that would be that.

I froze when I saw the familiar, lanky figure coming out. The same tousled, brown hair I looked at every day was combed slightly down and instead of ratty jeans and a torn t-shirt there were black pants and a Rolling Stones shirt that actually looked somewhat decent. It was Mason. My heart actually stopped and had I not been dead I would have feared for my health. _Oh my fucking god…_

He tapped at the microphone nervously, "Te-testing one, two, three…can you all hear me all right?"

There was chorus of "yes" throughout the audience. I'm sure I mumbled something but I don't remember. He sat on the ragged barstool and slid the strap of a guitar, the guitar I had gotten him, around his neck and positioned the mic to where you could actually hear him.

"So, yeah, this is my first playing and um…this is actually a surprise for my date tonight. So, Georgie, this is my way of asking you to…be my valentine." Mason struggled to get the words out and was blushing bright red. If anyone looked a little closer they might have thought he was gay, but my presence and him staring in my direction gave everyone cause to not heckle him.

He took a few seconds to tune and I was already enraptured. This was Mason? He came up with this? He was…going to play…for me? Okay, so play for me in front of a room full of people, but play for me nonetheless? No shit?

"Today is gonna be the day  
That they're gonna throw it back to you  
By now you should've somehow  
Realized what you gotta do  
I don't believe that anybody  
Feels the way I do about you now

Backbeat the word was on the street  
That the fire in your heart is out  
I'm sure you've heard it all before  
But you never really had a doubt  
I don't believe that anybody feels  
The way I do about you now

And all the roads we have to walk are winding  
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding  
There are many things that I would  
Like to say to you  
But I don't know how

Because maybe  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall

Today was gonna be the day  
But they'll never throw it back to you  
By now you should've somehow  
Realized what you're not to do  
I don't believe that anybody  
Feels the way I do  
About you now

And all the roads that lead you there were winding  
And all the lights that light the way are blinding  
There are many things that I would like to say to you  
But I don't know how

I said maybe  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall  
You're my wonderwall  
You're my wonderwall"

_God damn…_

RPOV

The cemetery was actually kind of romantic. No, it really wasn't. I leaned against the same headstone we had been meeting at for close to sixty years, smoking my pipe and looking down the hill. I took the time to wear a suit, slick my hair back and shine my shoes just as I had way back when I had gone on my first date when I was still a kid. Now, I just looked like a lawyer who had nowhere else to be on Valentine's Day.

The wind was cold and I pulled my coat closer around me. She wasn't late and I had no cause to look at my watch. I had gotten there about forty-five minutes early because of my nerves. Granted yes, I was always early but this was a whole new dimension of crap. _What am I doing here?_

I saw her before she saw me. She was all legs in that blue dress and her hair that was always curly fell straight against her face. She was a vision. I couldn't stop staring and had I not had hold of my pipe it would have fallen to the ground.

"Hey, stranger…" she greeted me as she closed the few feet between us.

"Hey, Ros." I answered back, trying not to let my eyes wander over her. But damn if that wasn't the most evil thing she could have done to me. I'd never looked at her like that since I'd known her and there I was ogling her like she was a piece of meat.

"What's the matter, you look shocked?"

"I just…you really look beautiful tonight."

She blushed and for some reason that made me happy. I had made her blush for the first time out of something I'd said rather than it being a situation that made her or both of us uncomfortable. My eyes wandered over her; over the blue dress she wore and the black trench that hung so gracefully off of her shoulders down to the heels that made her just a few inches taller. I was stuck.

"You don't look so bad yourself. So what's the plan, man?" she asked nonchalantly, pulling out a cigarette and lighter.

"Dinner? Dancing? Hell if I know."

"Dancing could be fun…but 'hell if I know' works too." She lit the cigarette and took a few drags, leaning her head back to watch the smoke waft up toward the sky.

"You're in a good mood tonight. Is the lack of work making you feel a little better than normal?"

She shook her head no and turned to look at me, "no, why?"

"You just seem…I don't know, different."

"So do you."

"How so?" I turned to face her.

"The last few days you've just been different. What with the whole being really upbeat which I've never seen you like that around your group, the wedding ring thing and…you…asking me out…" she faltered at the end and her eyes met mine in the same, slow and deliberate way they always did when she meant to ignore a topic.

"Why is that weird?"

"You asked me out on a date, Rube."

"Okay. And?"

"You've never done anything like that before."

"I told you…I came to terms with a few things.."

"But why choose now when I'm here for that, huh?" suddenly her voice changed and it was softer, as if she were trying to keep it to herself.

"Why not?"

"You're making me nuts, you know that, right?"

"How am I making you nuts?"

"Because we're friends."

"… I don't even know what to say to that, Rosslyn."

"We're friends and you asked me out. We're friends and reapers and you asked me out."

"Okay. So, you never had a problem when we'd go out and eat before, but now that I've come to terms with losing my wife and daughter you can't handle it anymore?"

"That's not it and you know it."

"Well what is 'it' then?"

"It makes me feel…I don't know, weird."

"Explain."

"Fuck…I don't know. Like there's something…I don't know, more between us or something."

"Is that why you're acting so weird, Ros?"

"How am I acting weird?"

"You asked me 'what's the plan, man' for god's sake. I have never in my afterlife heard you utter those words in that order. Or is Mason just getting to you that bad?"

"Well, you're parading around not wearing a ring, acting all happy and whatever around me then you ask me out…what am I supposed to think?"

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm crazy."

"How do you think you're crazy?"

"What are you now, my therapist?" she asked desperately and tossed down the butt of her cigarette, grinding it into the grass. I looked at her and tried to keep my face expressionless though I was fighting off a smile inside.

"I just want to know. You're an old, good friend and I want to know why you think you're crazy. This affects me because I let you into my home and I want to understand why, in fact, you may be nuts."

"Things have just been floating through my head lately, okay?"

"Things?"

"Don't fuck with me, Rube."

"I'm not fucking with you."

"Stop it, I mean it. I've just been thinking a lot about things since I got here and…"

"And?"

"I…might stick around for a while."

"That's what's making you crazy?"

"No. It was just a thought I had…_why_ I want to stay is making me crazy."

"Why do you want to stay?"

She bit at her lower lip and turned away from me, looking down at the city's lights. The wind blew her hair into her face and I instantly saw her as an actress that even Daisy would have been in awe of. She was beautiful, that would never change but there we were, fighting slightly about something that was going on between us. Nothing had been said that it was between us, but between us nonetheless.

"You…"

"Me? I'm making you crazy? Didn't we just go over this?"

"Shut up."

I grabbed her hand and turned her to face me. This was different than all the times I had tried to get her to talk to me in the past. There was so much riding on this moment and this 'date' and she thought she was nuts about it. So much had happened in the last week that she had been home and even more before she had come back. I was due to spend some time thinking and the fact that she brought it out in me meant something. Her eyes were on the ground and I caught her chin as I had so many times in the past when she had been defiant toward me. Always it was for her own good, but this time was it really? Or was it for me?

"No, I think you need to shut up and stop thinking so much."

Her gaze flashed up to meet my eyes and we stared at each other, "this is coming from the man who wore his wedding ring seventy years after his wife died? And you say I need to stop thinking so much?"

"Yes I do. So stop."

"Or what? What will it get me if I stop, hm?" she was being defiant on purpose to push my buttons.

"What is it really that's making you crazy, Rosslyn?" I asked her, my voice quiet and I leaned my face down close to hers.

"You had me really worried."

"That's what was making you crazy?"

"And now...everything…you're my rock and now you're changing things up on me. You never thought outside your marriage until now and here we are. It's scaring me."

"I'm scaring you?"

"I'm scaring myself about you. I'm afraid I'll call home one day and you'll have…passed."

I could feel my jaw drop as I looked down at her. She suddenly looked so young. Well hell, she was thirteen years my junior when she died, but at the moment she really did take on a frightened child look. My paternal side fought to get out, but I kept it down with the promise that she'd be protected. Albeit in a different way, but I was determined.

"I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"Good."

"Good."

We stared at each other for a long while, her chin in my hand. A small smile tugged at the edges of her mouth and suddenly we were laughing. We were laughing so hard I could see her fighting for air as she slid out from me and leaned on a headstone. I leaned beside her and again we stood in silence.

After a long few moments, as if on cue, we turned to face each other and she looked up at me with a completely new expression than I had ever seen before. The one she wore was…more intense, no, passionate, no, hell I have no fucking clue. It was different, but good different.

I couldn't stop myself and I pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on my shoulder for a while and I just held her there. She was still my oldest and best friend in the world. I still trust her with everything I had. I still knew that she'd be there no matter what ever happened to me or us. That prompted me to move away and look down into her eyes again. There was that look.

"What is it?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"Nothing, you worry to much."

I smiled and I couldn't tell you how it happened. Her eyes held that mysterious look and something changed. Something big changed.

We kissed. And it wasn't some sissy peck on the lips either. I held her to me like there was nothing else in the world but the two of us and she held be back as well as she could. If I could have I would have picked her up, but I had no desire to move from having her in my arms.

When we broke away we were both breathless and she looked up at me with all-knowing eyes, "That's what scared me."

"…"

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one out of the two of us that was feeling like things were a little different. Now I know."

"Now you know."

"So, stupid question?"

"Hm?"

"Be my valentine?"


	11. That Thing You Do

Chapter 10: That Thing You Do

Rosslyn POV

Mornings sucked. No, mornings after reaps sucked. No, reaps sucked which, in turn, made everything else suck which includes mornings. Therefore…mornings sucked. Der Waffle Haus couldn't even make me feel better as I neared it, and it had magical powers as far as I was concerned.

When I walked in under the jangling of the bell and the floor filled with customers turned to look at me I could feel my cheeks blushing red. Well, I could _feel_ them blushing, but they were already red and puffy courtesy of the punches I'd taken the night before. I caught sight of the group at our usual table and they looked at me with curious faces. I didn't blame them.

It was February, early morning and cloudy which was a given for the Pacific Northwest. I, though, had donned large, dark sunglasses that morning, a trench coat that was a little longer than I normally wore, gloves, a scarf and boots that came up to my knees and laced up. I probably looked like some deranged flasher with cataracts. No one said anything though as I pulled up my normal chair at the end of the table and leaned against the back of it. I was fucking exhausted and really had no clue as to why I had even bothered to get out of bed.

"What the hell happened to you? Get dressed in the dark?" Roxy asked as Kiffany brought me a cup of coffee.

"No, and I don't feel like talking about it."

"Well what with those shades and all, love, you're practically vintage!" Mason pretty well gushed and reached out to grab my glasses.

I shied away and kept a firm hold on the ear piece as I glared out from behind the dark lenses, but it might have worked better if he could have seen my eyes. George was looking at me closely from her spot next to me and she leaned in close enough to spot my swollen cheek even though I'd tried to cover it up with concealer before I'd left the apartment.

"Did someone punch you, or what?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as she looked at me.

I saw Rube's head bolt upward from looking at the menu and his eyes turn to me. _Well, he fucking noticed that…_ It was the first time he really paid me any mind in the week since…the whole graveyard thing. He locked eyes with me and I lowered my gaze, well, lowered my head to peruse the menu before I decided to skip food and stick to solid caffeine. The coffee was the only thing keeping me awake at the moment, but the stares from my fellow reapers was enough to make me want to crawl into a hole and hide.

"No, I just…what are you talking about?" I lied blatantly and everyone knew it, but I was so NOT in the mood to discuss my current physical ailments at the moment.

"You look like you took a right hook to the cheek, Ros." That would be Daisy's albeit kind nature, but from what I could tell she was eyeing my outfit like I was some homeless person who wandered in and sat down with them.

"I'm fine. Can we order now, where in the blue hell is Kiffany?"

"Don't bother, kids, there are souls to be taken before breakfast so grab a latte when you're done." Rube interrupted and opened his planner, that same beat up thing that he'd had for almost as long as I'd known him. "One for George, one for Roxy, one for Daisy, and one for Mason; I'd get a move on if I were you."

They all took the same moment to look down at their Post-Its just as every reaper did when they first got them. It was a curiosity thing and I think on some level you did get a slight God Complex because you did, in fact, hold someone's death in your hands…on a little sheet of yellow paper. During this time though Rube turned his quiet attention to me and mouthed _are you alright?_ I simply smiled at him though, if it took me getting beaten to hell to get his attention now then I sure as hell was going to give him the same damn treatment.

"Why no Post-It for Ros?" Mason asked in that semi-whining tone of voice which earned him a scowl from me and a silent answer from Rube. Well, silent for a little while.

"You got a reap today, Ros?"

"I…probably, yeah, why?"

"Because Mason is very interested in your appointments. Maybe he ought to tag along?"

I narrowed my eyes and lowered the glasses to reveal two puffy, black eyes and in a very low, hollow voice I countered "I don't think that's a good idea, boss."

Rube's dark eyes widened slightly, but he turned back on his expressionless face and left me at the mercy of the rest of the group. Roxy, the cop of course, pulled my glasses down the rest of the way. I was completely exposed, hell, I should have ripped off the scarf to show off the claw marks in my neck and the trench for the bruises on the rest of me if that's what they wanted to see. It was my _job_ and…nothing is more important than the job.

"The fuck happened to you?" George asked as I lowered my head to look down in my lap.

"I…have to go..." I started and pulled the glasses back on.

Silently I hoped that Rube would follow me. He stared after me in the same way he always did when I didn't want to talk about something. I didn't see him but I knew that face: his jaw would be set, his eyes would be blank and his expression would be unreadable save for the distinct vibe of being hurt that I didn't confide in him what had happened. Only this time I shied away from him and his reapers in a fashion that was probably one of the worst ways I could have brought my line of work to the surface. _I'm so viciously fucked…_

I needed someone to talk to and since my only confidante was in there and apparently angry at me, or avoiding me at the very least, I had to seek out someone else that I knew I could trust. But who? Everyone aside from Rube that I knew was inside and as I turned to give one last darkened lens glance at them I wondered if anyone else I knew was still around.

OPOV

Penny. Penny had always been her saving grace when Rube was in a pissy mood. She trusted her almost as much as she trusted him and had always thought of her like an older sister, which was actually kind of funny because she was at least a lifetime older than the petite woman reaper. That was Rosslyn's answer. Besides, she had been in town for almost three weeks and hadn't stopped by to see her yet.

The hospital was till the same. It still made her nervous to go in even after being gone for as long as she had been. Never when she lived there did she go in to see Penny, Rube always took care of that and he had an even worse fear of hospitals than she did. Yes, always the strong anchor, he was.

The elevator was welcoming what with the scent of floor cleaner and Febreze wafting in as Rosslyn pressed the button to take her to the right floor. The ride was quick and she thought back to the first time she'd ever come to see Penny outside of a work related issue. Ironically enough, it was actually about the same reason why she was there now.

The desk on that floor was huge and cluttered with papers. Another nurse sat in the swivel chair behind a large phone system writing something up and it took her a few moments before she noticed the tall auburn haired woman waiting for her.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Penny. Is she on shift?"

"Is...It an emergency?"

"Tell her Rosslyn needs to talk to her. Yeah, it actually is important."

"One moment." The nurse got up and went around into the room behind the counter.

Suddenly Penny's familiar small frame walked out, holding a cup of coffee behind. Her smiling face brightened even more as she saw the other reaper and went over to hug her. Rosslyn too wore a smile and she hugged her back just as excitedly.

"Holy crap, I never thought you were going to come see me…what the hell happened to you?" she asked upon seeing the younger looking girl's odd clothing.

"The usual…can you get a break and come talk? I…really need to talk to you."

Penny nodded and turned to the other nurse, "I'll have my pager on, Loretta, can you hang for a couple of hours? I'll come back so you can go to lunch."

The other nurse nodded and after Penny got her coat the two were riding the elevator to go get coffee. Once they made it to a small café and ordered Rosslyn finally took off the sunglasses to reveal her two black, swollen eyes and puffed cheek to her old friend.

"Christ…you really took a beating, huh?" Penny asked, cupping Rosslyn's cheek in one hand.

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm here."

"That's never why you're here, sweetie."

"Why do you call me that? I'm older than you."

"Because I can, so tell me what's up."

"I…I don't even know where to start."

"You came home, that's a damn good place to start."

"Yes, I came home. I came home and everything's turned ass-side up."

"What do you mean?"

"I came home to talk to Rube and figure out if he was okay what with the whole…Rosie thing. Now he's off on this…I don't even know what you'd call it, but he's stopped wearing his wedding ring and was acting all happy like nothing was wrong." Rosslyn spoke fast, gesturing wildly and almost knocked over the poor waitress who brought them their coffee.

"He's not wearing his wedding ring? You mean that old bastard finally got it through his head that he wasn't obligated anymore? Praise the fucking lord."

"The hell are you talking about? He's worn that thing for as long as he's been married…and dead. Why is this a good thing?"

"You mean it never bothered you that he wore it for all those years?" Penny cocked an eyebrow at the younger woman and sipped her coffee.

"No! Okay, well it did a little, but it was normal. It was comforting. He was starting all this talk about letting go and that he was finally going to start enjoying his afterlife and all of this other crazy shit."

"Is it really so crazy, Rosslyn? His wife treated him like shit when he was alive and now that he's finally coming to terms with it you're giving him crap? He's in a really rough place right now. As his best friend I thought you'd might understand that." Penny was appalled and she half glared over the white lid of her coffee cup.

"I do understand, but Penny it's weird, okay? It's really weird. You know he asked me out for Valentine's Day?" Rosslyn was frustrated as all hell and was starting to feel that hysteria bubbling up in her.

Penny paused, a hand coming up to rest on Rosslyn's arm, but instead she just looked at the other woman, "he asked you out? Seriously? What did you say?"

Rosslyn sighed and leaned back into the booth, "I said yes. Of course I said, yes, Penny, what else would I fucking say to him?"

"So what happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?"

"You wouldn't come here bitching about him not wearing his wedding ring anymore if something big didn't happen. So what happened?"

"I…we…we kissed, okay?"

A smile broke out over Penny's face, "Was it everything you thought it was going to be? Every thought you've denied yourself for almost twenty years, Rosslyn, was it? Come on, you've been head over heels for him since before you left so you can't tell me that it wasn't everything you wanted."

Rosslyn stopped and Penny put a hand on her arm in a sisterly way, squeezing lightly. The bruises ached under the touch, but it was welcome under all the stress and frustration she was feeling at the moment. Her swollen eyes looked up from the tabletop and locked with Penny's gaze before a very evident blush won out over the redness of her bruised cheek.

"It was. It really was. I wanted to kiss him again. I've wanted to do that for so long, but…now everything is so fucked up, I don't know what to do." There were tears in her eyes and they made her voice thick.

"What happened?" Penny leaned in; this was definitely not the response she'd planned on hearing when those two finally got it together.

"He's been avoiding me since it happened. I haven't talked to him outside of at meals when the rest of his group's around. Granted, it made me mad so I'm kind of avoiding him too, but look at me…I went in there this morning and he didn't even say anything about how I looked." She was fighting back tears and losing as they started to fall down her cheeks slowly and only added a more pathetic air to her already battered appearance.

"Okay, you know Rube's a big boy. He can, and WILL take care of things when he feels its right to do so. If it's bothering you go talk to him about it. You know how he is about talking and letting out his feelings…it'll take you making the first move." Penny again reached for her arm and patted it, looking on with wanting to do something, anything to ease her pain.

"But what if I really am crazy and the kiss was just a fluke? I'll be standing there having poured my guts out to him and he'll think I'm crazy. Then. I'll be out a really good friend and have to go back to Boston just to get away from everything. Do you know what'll happen if that happens, Penny? I don't want to go back to that again and-"

"You're not crazy and it wasn't a fluke so stop talking like that. He's just as nuts about you as you are for him and the only insanity is the fact that you two have tap danced around this for so long." Penny interrupted sternly.

"What?"

"He…came and talked to me a few days before I guess he asked you out. He was in pretty much the same shape you're in now minus the hysterics over the fact that he was feeling something for you and I told him to do something about it."

"You told him to ask me out?"

"Not in so many words, but Ros, he's fucking crazy for you okay? Trust me on that. You two were meant for each other. Stop worry about it and just…jump in there, already." Penny's voice had softened and Rosslyn's tears had stopped.

The younger girl sniffled and smiled at the other reaper. The frustration was still there, but not the same as it had been. She had to go talk to Rube or she was going to die…again. This time though, there wouldn't be any of that 'tap dancing' bullshit.

"So…he said he was crazy about me?"

"Let's just say he's been fighting it for about as long as you have."

"Thanks, Penny…really."

The shorter woman patted Ros's arm again, "No problem."

OPOV

"Can you believe her comin' in like that this morning?" Roxy asked the rest of her co-workers over a waffle lunch.

Rube had taken off to do whatever it was he did during the day and Rosslyn had disappeared as she tended to do once breakfast was over. This left Mason, Roxy, George, and Daisy to eat together for lunch and discuss the earlier morning's actions.

"Rube didn't even bat an eyelash at her; don't you think that's a little odd?" Daisy asked, taking a drink of her Diet Coke.

"Oh he did, he just didn't say anything. I saw him give her a look before Toilet Seat here jumped on her about how she looked." Roxy countered and looked to George who stared evenly at the cop.

"You were all thinking it." She simply answered and turned back to her plate.

"What do you think happened?" Daisy asked.

"I don't fucking know, she's always coming here with scrapes and shit so why bother asking ourselves that. She's Rube's friend so we should be asking _him, _not each other." Mason answered, leaning over to take one of George's strawberries.

"Don't you think it's weird that she never gets Post-Its yet Rube doesn't ever jump on her about working? I mean, I know she's here on a visit but she's been here almost a month so you'd think someone somewhere would give her something to do." Roxy added.

"Maybe she does work, but doesn't get her Post-Its from him?" George asked, slapping Mason's hand away from the rest of her fruit salad.

"I want to know why the hell she's coming in all beat up like she does. I'm a fucking cop and if it's a domestic disturbance thing, I want to know who to put in jail."

"Aw, Roxy, I didn't know you cared so much for our mysterious little friend." Mason gushed as he tried to sneak another strawberry from the younger blonde who promptly tried to stab him with her fork.

"I don't. I just want to know what the fuck's going on."

Daisy sighed a little and gathered her things to leave, "I say we just leave it alone and if they want to tell us, they will. That's how it's always been with Rube and she looks just his type."

"Yeah, Rube has a type, that's funny, Daisy." Mason laughed.

Daisy turned and left, heading out to her reap for the afternoon. Maybe it wasn't such a weird idea to figure out why Ros was in such bad shape and Rube had been in such a bad mood the last few days. _So where should I go to find her?_

DPOV

The night was cold as ice as I turned the corner, trying to follow as quietly as I could manage. The stiletto heels made a sharp _click click_ noise on the pavement and for a while I was sure I'd be caught. Rosslyn had become a friend to me since she'd gotten there: we'd gone shopping a few times and out to eat as well. She was a quiet girl, much like Georgia, but had more of shyness rather than hostility to her.

I'd seen her walking through a park earlier in the twilight. Now, it was dark and starting to rain as I followed her. Was this her reap? A young guy, probably mid thirties or so walked a half block or so in front of her and she followed his every step since she's caught sight of him on the grass in the park. She wore an odd expression as though she were looking at him and even communicating with him, but not with her body. Those hazel eyes were blank and glazed over under the light of a streetlamp and I could see it from my perch just beyond the corner of a building.

Rosslyn stopped as the man stopped and he turned around to face her. He was angry and glared out at her with contempt as he opened his mouth and a horrendous scream filled the air. It was what a banshee must sound like before they take your soul. Even as he shrieked at her she stood calm and collected. Soon the man quieted and stared out at her in a stupor, eyes wide and mouth hanging half open.

She sauntered up to him, placed a hand over his chest and I saw the familiar tremble of her popping his soul. Her body backed away quickly and the man stood there for a moment before his body collapsed leaving the soul to stand in its place. Only, this wasn't a soul like I had ever seen.

It looked like a mixture of a graveling, a human and the Wolf Man standing before my fellow reaper. She looked on without fear, or perhaps so much fear that she couldn't move. The two stared down at each other as if waiting for something. I saw Rosslyn's hand twitch and her palm started to twinkle and glow blue. Well, it wasn't her palm per say, but it was almost as if the Lights that souls see flowed in her veins in that hand.

The creature shrieked again and sent her jogging backward a few feet. It roared and charged her, swinging hands, no, claws at my friend. A scream rose up in my throat as one claw caught her wrist of the hand that glowed blue and dug deep into the veins. She let out a cry and with her other hand pulled out the sharp talons and shoved them away. She looked pissed.

"Don't fuck with me…" Rosslyn said in a low voice and countered, holding her hurt arm close to her chest.

The two circled each other until this time Rosslyn charged the thing and the two clawed at one another. Long, deep scratches raked her already swollen face as she fought to get her injured hand over the creature's chest. I couldn't help but want to call for Rube, he was her friend right? He could help her? This wasn't a soul, this was some kind of monster.

I saw the Lights out of the corner of my eyes and turned, seeing her palm glowing blue over where the heart would be if that creature had one. Lights filled the background behind them and I saw the monster start to change. It went from that hideous thing to something that matched the body it had come from and I stared, open mouthed. The soul turned to look at Rosslyn in its arms, she nursing her arm and looking at him with a bloodied face.

"Thank you…thank you so much. I…" he looked at her for what had to be the first time really seeing her.

"Did I do that to you?" he asked and reached out a hand to her bleeding wrist.

"No, you didn't" Rosslyn answered with a tired smile.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I wanted to stop, but I couldn't, I'm so sorry-"

"You didn't do anything, okay? I completely understand. Now go before you lose your chance…again." She was tired and shaking badly, I could see it from where I was.

"Bless you." The man said and put a hand on her shoulder before going into his Lights.

Rosslyn stood for a few minutes, holding her wrist to her and stared at where the Lights had been. I stared too from her to the space. What the hell was that? What the hell was she? She… gave him lights. She conjured them up like some magic spell. This was definitely not right. The others had to know about this…

RPOV

It was blessedly quiet that night as I sat in my chair with a book and a glass of bandy at my elbow. The fire was warm, but I still felt cold. I had been feeling cold for the last week.

Seeing Rosslyn in such a state that morning bothered me to no end. Why hadn't she come to me for help? Why hadn't she come to talk in a week? Did she think I was mad at her or something?

My thumb absently rubbed over the place on my ring finger where my wedding band had once been. It hurt on some level that we were ignoring each other, especially after what happened on Valentine's Day. God, that kiss had been glorious. I finally felt as I should be feeling when I kissed a woman and…I was glad it was with her.

This last week had made me come to realize that 'doing something about it' wasn't the only thing I had to do to finally…come to terms with the fact that I wasn't in love with Lucy. I would always love her with all my heart; she had been my wife, but I wasn't in love her the way I should have been. It hurt me that I'd wasted so long in thinking she was the only woman I'd ever have room for in my heart. Sure, I loved Roxy and George, but more in a family sense. Penny was like a sister me and Betty was like the loveable next-door neighbor's kid that came to bother you.

Rosslyn was different. She always had been. From the moment I'd laid eyes on her almost seventy years ago she was different to me. Yes, she was beautiful but there was just something about her soul that got to me. At first I thought it was just some crazy fluke because we had been so close but after she'd gotten the notice she was leaving the area for the east coast I felt those feelings become stronger. I missed her like crazy, but not in normal terms. I had been depressed after she left and I took it out on anything and everything. Just as she'd always said that I was her anchor, she was mine.

A knock on my door jarred me from my thoughts and I stood. It was close to one in the morning, _who the fuck wants me this late?_ I opened the door a crack, thinking maybe it was just The List coming for a really late-night reap. I was dead, pardon the pun, wrong.

Rosslyn stood just outside my door just as she always had when she was hurting. Whether or not it was physical pain she always stood with a guilty expression like she was worried I'd refuse her. Yeah, like I could.

She was covered in blood and her already swollen face was covered in deep scratches. No doubt she'd had a reap on top of everything else. No, two in two days. It was a wonder she was still standing.

"Get in here..." I ordered in a soft tone and opened the door wide for her.

She nodded and walked in, holding her wrist to her chest. That was the source of the blood, I noticed. There were deep punctures in her wrist by the veins and the blood was just flowing. Ah, the price we pay for immortality.

"Reap?" I asked.

She nodded again, "yeah."

"You okay?"

Again she nodded, "yeah."

I shut the door and closed the distance between us, "are you really okay?"

She shook her head no and I wrapped her in a hug. I could feel all the pain and hurt she'd been feeling from me from this last week. Guilt washed over me, in my search to figure things out I had pushed her away. She worried things were her fault and that I was angry at her. _I'm not._

_I know._ I heard her voice in my mind as only her kind of reaper could conjure. It was times like these when I was glad for it too. She looked up at me and I smoothed away a lock of those auburn curls. Her face had all but stopped bleeding, but it was her wrist that worried me. I grabbed some bandages and set to dress it, but she pushed my hands away and looked into my eyes.

"Don't fuck with me, Rube. Tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"Was that kiss just a fluke or what? Should I never bring it up again?"

"Do you not want to bring it up again?"

"I…don't do this to me now, I've had two reaps in two days and I'm losing blood flow to my brain. Just answer the damn question."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, just barely brushing my lips over her bloodied skin. I felt her relax against me and again I felt that warmth, what I had once called a strange feeling that only came up when she was around. I held her for as long as I could stand it before I tipped her chin up to meet mine in a kiss.

She slid neatly into my arms, just as she always had. The kiss was different. The one in the cemetery was filled with questions that needed to be answered, but was hardly lacking in passion. This one was more gentle and filled with the answers to those questions. When I finally let her go she looked up at me with those big, hazel eyes.

"Can I stay tonight?"

"Of course."


	12. This Kiss

Chapter 11: This Kiss

OPOV

Sunlight filtered in through the curtains and struck across George's happily sleeping face. A furrowed brow was soon covered by the blankets and a groan accompanied her turning over to avoid the light. Her movement stirred the sleeping brit next to her who too groaned and covered his face with a pillow.

"What fucking time is it?" he asked the air, muffled by the gray feather pillow.

"Early." came a sleepy reply.

"Bloody hell…"

"Sun's up."

Some time later George hovered over a ceramic coffee mug filled with the steaming substance while Mason rest his head on the kitchen table mumbling something about time travel and the government. Daisy too, emerged with a cup of coffee and stared at her two roommates through bleary sapphire eyes. This earned a warning scowl from George who looked at the clock on the wall: seven thirty.

"It IS Saturday, right?" she asked, taking a drink.

"I fucking hope so…" Mason answered, lifting his head and stared longingly into the kitchen.

Daisy sat down in front of them, "yes, it's Saturday."

A relieved sigh escaped George's lips as she mimicked Mason's earlier pose and rested her head flat against the table top. Mason took this as a good opportunity to pick up her cup of coffee and take a drink. It was bright for a Seattle morning and George did not take to bright very well before ten a.m.

"What time do we meet Rube today?" she asked in a 'I'm still half asleep' voice.

"Nine." Daisy answered and thumbed through the paper.

"Fuck me…" George moaned and got up, heading back upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Mason called after her, putting down the cup.

"Back to bed..." she called down the stairs and the other two reapers heard the slamming of the door.

"Well, she's in a right happy mood, yeah?" he asked the air as Daisy sipped her coffee and read the paper.

It only took ten minutes of Daisy and her pointed silence at him to get Mason upstairs and in the shower. The hot water was welcome because even though the morning was annoyingly bright, it was colder than a witch's ass. It took him a good ten minutes before he slid out of the steamy lavatory and headed for George's room. This morning though, in respect of her wanting to sleep he'd foregone grabbing his clothes and was presently trying to maneuver being 'stealthy' whilst having a towel wrapped around his waist. This impromptu 'secret agent bit' had him humming the theme song to James Bond and trying to jiggle the door open without waking his sleeping roommate. Truly a battle of wills.

He managed to sneak the door open and was fighting the creaky wood flooring to get over to the dresser. George had finally given him a drawer or two to keep his stuff in because even though he promised to only crash in her room 'for a few nights, Georgie-girl' most, if not all, of his clothes had wound up on the floor or crammed onto the furniture. As he pulled out the requisite clothing needed he sat down on the comforter to hunt through his underwear trying desperately to find a pair that didn't look like they had gone through a machine gun. In his hunt for something that wasn't completely ragged he failed to notice the stirring of the figure in bed behind him.

"Mason?" asked George in a sleepy voice.

He turned, 'Morning, love, did I wake you?"

She shook her head in a groggy no and sat up, running a hand through her long blond hair. Mason smiled at her before tossing the pile back into the drawer and grabbed the rest of his clothes. He had hoped to change before George had woken up so he wouldn't run the risk of Daisy catching him naked. As he stood he saw her eyes wander over him and he winced, waiting for the moment when everything clicked…and it did.

"Mason! You're in a towel!" she yelled and turned her gaze down to the covers.

"I'm on my way out, calm fucking down…" Mason smiled at her and skidded off to change.

_Fucking hell…how many times have I seen him almost naked now?_ George groaned and got up to get dressed herself. Thank god it was Saturday so she didn't have to contend with Happy Time or Delores or traffic or anything…aside from her real job. Hopefully there'd be no Post-It for her and she could enjoy the whole of her day without having to worry about being splattered with anything…human or otherwise.

Mason and George rode together in his car that morning. Se leaned back on her seat with her eyes closed and they drove in silence. Since Valentine's Day they hadn't really talked about much of anything outside of random comments when they'd stay up together. Granted it was a comfortable silence but it was wearing down on the two of them and if something wasn't said soon, one of them was going to break.

"Mason?" George asked and turned her head to see his eyes twitch to look at her as he changed lanes.

"Hm?"

"I never did get a chance to thank you…"

"For what, Georgie?"

"Valentine's Day…the song…it was really great." She smiled.

Mason smiled too, the first genuine one in a week. At the set after he'd set down the guitar and looked out at her, feeling pride well up in his chest as she looked at him with tears in her eyes. It had made her happy, or so he thought, but they had avoided the topic for almost a week. She had hugged him after the set and they had gone home to enjoy their nightly ritual and he'd even played for her a few more times in the last few days, but for some reason it was really hard to bring it up.

"No problem…I wanted to do it, yeah?"

"It was really sweet..." and without thinking she reached out and took his hand.

He smiled over at her and squeezed her hand lightly as they drove on in silence. Inwardly he beamed with happiness that a) there didn't have to be any weirdness between them and b) that she had enjoyed it. He'd finally done something right and if he had the nerve he would have gone up to Rube and told him so.

"Mason gets one and Daisy gets one. You other two, enjoy a day off." Rube announced as he stuck the little papers in front of their owners. Mason made a face and picked it up as Daisy did the same. Saturdays were always nicer for some reason and, for what seemed the millionth time in a few weeks; Rube had finally passed whatever had him so pissed off and was back to his normal self again. Rosslyn sipped coffee at her customary end-of-the-table seat quietly and looked over at George.

"Looks like you could use a few days off instead of just one, honey." She said in that quiet, sweet voice she had adopted since the day she'd come in looking like a punching bag.

"Work's been hell this week…Delores is on this kick where we all have to write up a report at the end of the day describing what we've done to pass the time and I'm either trying to make shit up or really do stuff and it's killing me…" George whined and took another long drink from the brown coffee mug, draining its contents.

"Then I suggest we go out and have a day on the town, Georgie, to try and loosen you up." Mason suggested as he traced a finger across his own brown mug.

"Sounds good…I could do with doing nothing."

Rosslyn smiled and put down her coffee mug before donning the long, black trench coat that was draped over her chair. A quick good-bye to everyone else before she walked around to whisper something to Rube later she walked out of Der Waffle Haus to the tune of the jangling bell. The boss man stared after her for a moment before he too drained the contents of his coffee mug a few minutes later and headed out himself. Roxy finished her food and followed suit not too long after which left the three of us, as always.

Daisy ate in silence, something had been on her mind the last few days, but no one was too sure what. Sure, she still had the same bitchy attitude that came naturally, but she had taken to being nicer and much quieter. The day before Roxy had mentioned something about it and was met with a wide eyes and a look that said 'I'll tell you later'; still nothing on that front.

"Well hey, what say we get the hell out of here and find something to do, yeah?" Mason asked and tossed a twenty on the table to pay for all three of their breakfasts.

George nodded yes and slid out of the booth. Both called out a good-by to Daisy who sat there, as she had been all morning, staring into the table top. The two slid into Mason's car and he turned up the heat as well as the radio and they flew down the highway toward the center of the city.

They had grabbed Starbucks upon parking the car and made their way down an uncrowded street. They talked freely as they had before and it seemed the awkward moments of the past week were gone. Mason laughed with her and they joked about past reaps, Rube and the stacks of Post-Its in his closet, and every reapers obsession with caffeine. Yes, it was indeed shaping up to be a good day.

George looked through a bookstore while Mason pawed through old comic books outside, she'd finish her coffee and he'd get her another, he'd point out a store with funky clothes and they'd spend another hour trying on the worst outfits they could manage. The hours flew by and as they turned a corner down toward an open air market Mason had taken her hand and they walked, fingers clasped between them.

"It's getting late, are you hungry yet, Georgie?" Mason asked, looking over a large box filled with records.

George looked up from the back cover of a cd and nodded, it was near noon and neither one of them had eaten anything save the vast amounts of caffeine since that morning. More walking led them to a bar and they sat in the back, looking over the table and reading the inscriptions that were etched into the wood.

"Why would someone named Wee-Stick Pete want to be remembered?" the blonde asked as she tilted her head to the side to read a particularly deep tag.

"Why would anyone want to be named Wee-Stick?" Mason asked and they both laughed.

Huge sandwiches and heaps of chips were brought to them by an old biker chick wearing a leather jacket and tight jeans. Both reapers made a face as she went off to pop open another beer and light up a cigarette behind the bar, her eyes on the television screen. Mason and George both took turns trying to see who could take the bigger bite, but it was Mason who finally won out, though not without a few scathing comments from his companion.

"So what you're telling me is…you can fit more in your mouth?" George asked as she watching him struggle to chew.

A noncommittal answer came out in the form of a gurgle as Mason finally managed to clear the bite. He mock glared at her from the other side of the table and stuck out his tongue, "yeah it does. I can fit way more…" he stopped and narrowed his eyes at her, "bitch." And they both broke out into fits of laughter.

They ate quietly for a few minutes before George leaned back in the wooden seat and looked at him, "okay, I have a question for you."

The brit grinned and took another swallow of his beer," I love The Random Question Game."

She rolled her eyes," Are you related to Madonna with the whole...one name thing? You're just 'Mason', what's your last name?"

He put down the massive sandwich and looked at her. Not even Rube, who probably knew more about anything than fucking Jesus, knew that. He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair and rested his palm on the back of his neck, "I don't use it."

"Why? Did something happen?"

He sighed, "My parents weren't ever too proud of me and when I quit college they threw me out. After that I just stopped using the damn thing because I figured they never wanted to be associated with their fuck-up son."

George bit at her lip; suddenly sorry she had brought it up. Never had she seen him get so introverted at the mention of something in his past. He always had a smile and a joke about when he had been alive, but this for some reason seemed to rattle him more than the retelling of his own death.

"St. James."

George looked up from the table, having realized he'd said something, "what?"

"St. James. My last name was St. James."

"Mason St. James? That…you don't look like a St. James."

"I know, that's why I never use it. People think it sounds too rich or something for the likes of me, but my family was an old aristocratic bunch; though you'd never think it seeing my sorry ass."

George thought on that for a while. She pictured a group of people who looked exactly like him walking around in powdered wigs and knickers which promptly caused her to giggle and look away from him.

"What?" he asked, picking up his beer.

"Nothing…" she managed to say between fits of laughter and leaned back into the chair.

"Come on now…what?"

"I just pictured you in a wig..." she smiled and took a drink from the bottle sitting next to her.

Mason cocked an eyebrow but decided not to ask. The chatted more about family life, Mason had an older brother who was supposedly god in his parents eyes. He'd gone off to college to be a doctor and every other parent's wet dream. Married a beautiful girl and was probably a grandfather or something by now. Mason though, had been the jealous younger brother and had rebelled against his family with the drugs and everything else. He had been a hippy, done every hippy thing he could, and fell in love with music.

George smiled as he spoke, finally talking about more than his drug escapades. They had a lot in common when it came to family life and that eased her a little. His parents had been just as straight laced as her own and though he was the ignored sibling he fought his brother at every turn. Reggie had at least fought for George's attention and though she never hated her little sister she was often annoyed by her presence. For a while she had even regarded Mason like a brother when she'd first started but now he'd changed into a friend and…perhaps more than that.

Lunch had been good and as they walked George thought back to that moment where they had come dangerously close to kissing. Her heart fluttered at the thought and she squeezed his hand as they walked. Mason smiled down at her as they headed for his car. His reap was in an hour and George was ready to go home and spent some quality time with the remote.

As he pulled up to the house they turned to each other and he lifted her head and kissed her knuckle. Suddenly it was as if tiny butterflies decided to take up in her stomach and she smiled. Mason's eyes glittered brightly, "I'll be home later, yeah?"

George nodded,"Catch you later, then..."

MPOV

It was still cold when I left the house. Well, I was cold on the inside because I'd been pretty damn scared George would beat me for that hand kissing stunt I pulled. She'd all but sworn off men since that Tripp wanker had pulled his shit and I was in no mood to start her up on that again. I watched her go in the house and sat for a minute thinking about whether or not I should follow her in.

_A. Maxwell  
__Corner of Courthouse and Harston  
__ETD 3:36_

I was a few minutes early. Yes, I know "Mason? Early? You fucking kidding me?" But it was the truth and I leaned against the side of a building staring down at my Post-It. I hoped it would get over with early so I could go home, but no such luck. It had to have been another five minutes I waited there before I heard a voice yelling from down the street.

"Alexandra, you get back here right now!" a woman's voice echoed off the brick walls and I had my reap.

When I turned to look I saw a woman, probably mid twenties or so, chasing after a little girl. My heart stopped. _Bloody Christ, no…Rube, you asshole._ She was so young; maybe three, four at the most. But there she was chasing after a ball down the street.

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back against the wall. Maybe if I shut my eyes another A. would show up. Preferably in the form of an old jerk-off who deserved to die. My watch read three thirty exactly and I swore again to myself. I hated kids. I hated reaping kids.

As she neared me I turned and she slammed head on into my legs. A wince of pain escaped my lips and I crouched down to inspect the damage. The ball had stopped at my feet and she was sniffling a little and holding her forehead. Those blonde curls fell in her eyes and silently I apologized to all the men who would never lust after her when she was older.

"Hey there, did you drop your ball?" I asked and picked up the small, multicolored plastic sphere.

She nodded and finally her mother caught up to us and crossed her arms while looking down at her daughter, "Alexandra Maxwell, you've done it this time. Give me the damn ball!" she screeched and the girl's eyes widened and she darted behind me.

"She's cute, yours…" and I turned to step out of the way.

I let my hand ruffle the girl's hair and the familiar sensation of her soul sliding away tingled through my arm. I never got used to that. The mother made some noncommittal apology toward me and made a grab for the ball again. This sent poor little Alexandra laughing away from her mother and into the street. I heard the squeal of tires before her mother had a chance to look up and I couldn't stand to look anymore.

_Not her, not her, not her…_ I begged for it not to be true. Maybe there was another Alexandra Maxwell that I'd neglected to notice and I'd fucked this one up. But no, I saw the young mother screaming in hysterics at the driver who was looking on in shock. Below his silver sports car rested the mangled body of one Alexandra Maxwell.

Her soul was standing not too far from me and looked out at her mother from the safe distance back. She looked scared. Quietly I came up behind her and crouched down, tapping her shoulder, "hey there." Was all I could come up with at the time.

"Why's mommy over there?" she asked me in her soft voice.

My heart lurched. Whose decision was it to take this little thing away from the world? She was practically a toddler for Christ sakes and she was dead. Those blonde curls turned from looking at me to her mother and she let out a sniffle. I think even as young as she was she knew what was going on.

"Mommy?" she yelled out and made a run for the sobbing woman who was now on her knees in front of the car.

The little brat beat me and ran straight through her beloved mum only to turn around and start wailing bloody murder. This was why I hate reaping kids. I put a hand on the woman's shoulder as a crowd started to gather and made a move to scoop up little Alexandra into my arms. She was shaking and staring down at her mother, screaming loudly. I couldn't take it anymore and she fought me as I led her away from the scene.

"What's wrong with mommy?" she demanded of me as she set to pounding her little fists into my chest.

I held her steady and felt tears gathering in my face as I looked down at her, "Mommy's…upset, Alexandra."

"Is she mad at me?"

"No, love, she's not." I said in the gentlest voice I could manage and she looped her arms around my neck.

I walked away, as far away as I could with her in my arms. She cried the entire time and for a moment I entertained the thought that it might be kind of like being a father. The little thing resorted back to wailing and struggling in my grip as I help onto her. I suddenly realized why her mother had let her walk.

Ideas were lost to me as I started into a run. I had nowhere to go. Rube hated kids, Daisy wasn't speaking to me, George wouldn't have any clue what to do and Roxy would just tell me to not get involved. _The fuck am I supposed to do now?_ I fought to keep her in my arms because the last thing I needed was the soul of a little girl lost on her own. I could just imagine the chewing out I'd get for that one.

I was helpless. What do you do with a screaming child that no one can see? How do you comfort someone who's just died and doesn't even understand the concept of death? Then I saw my salvation. Rosslyn walked down the street across from me, her long auburn hair blowing in the breeze as she puffed on a cigarette.

"Ros! Bloody hell, Ros, can you hear me?" I yelled and she turned, waving at me and jogged across the street.

Her eyes widened as she saw the girl in my arms and I smiled the most pathetic smile I had. She was bound to know what to do. A soft smile passed those berry lips of hers and in the sweetest, gentlest voice I had ever heard a woman use she looked at the little thing, "Hi, I'm Rosslyn, what's your name?"

Instantly the child stopped that fucking bellowing and stilled as she looked over at Rosslyn from my shoulder, "Alex…"

Rosslyn smiled and ruffled her hair, "Are you sad, Alex?"

The girl nodded and I could feel her relaxing, "Uh huh."

"Why are you sad, sweetie?" Ros cooed and I saw Alex sniffle out of the corner of my eye.

"My-my mommy's mad and I think she's mad at me and when I went to go talk to her I couldn't and I tried to hug her and I couldn't and I want to go home!" she cried and started to wail again.

Rosslyn put a hand on the girl's shoulder and kissed her forehead. The crying stopped and was replaced with a soft sniffling. I smiled; this was how it was supposed to be done.

"We're going to take you somewhere and I think you're really going to like it, okay?" Rosslyn smoothed little Alex's hair and the little girl nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck again.

"Do you want me or Mason to carry you?" Rosslyn asked and the girl looked up at me with the biggest blue eyes I'd ever seen.

"Mason..."

My heart twisted again. Only a few times in my afterlife did I ever think about missing out on marriage or kids. I thought about sex all the time, but never did I think about missing out on that whole falling in love bit. In my opinion, it was bollocks, but things were slowly starting to change. I'd always wanted a family, but that was out of the picture and love was never a big thing to me. Getting laid was always a thought in my mind, but I hadn't shagged anyone since that girl at the record store almost a year ago. _Has it really been that fucking long?_

As we neared an alley I saw the familiar glitter of Lights. Alex looked up and I put her down. She waved to Rosslyn and I before heading into what looked like a flower garden leaving the two of us alone after the Lights had faded. Ros lit up a cigarette and took a few puffs before holding it out to me.

"I quit all that shit…"

"This isn't cocaine; it won't do anything but calm you down. You look like you were the one who got hit by the car."

I took the cigarette and sucked in a few long drags as she lit up another and leaned against a wall. I joined her and we smoked in silence.

"Does it ever bother you?"

"Does what ever bother me?"

"Not being able to have kids?" I flicked ashes on the ground and took another long drag, turning to look at her.

She was quiet for a minute, looking forward into the brick wall in front of us, "every day."

I shook my head, "every day…" and ground the butt into the sidewalk.

"Don't worry too much about it, Mason. Besides, I doubt George would ever think about it either." Rosslyn smiled and stomped hers out as well.

"What? How do you know about that?"

Another sly smile, "I've been reaping almost six times as long as you have. I know when I guy likes a girl. You're practically snogging her at every meal with your eyes."

I blushed, "I have?"

"They just don't notice it, love, but like I said, don't worry about it."

"How old were you when you died, Ros?"

"Twenty-six."

"Ah…" I nodded and she turned to me.

"Go home, Mason." She smiled and leaned in to kiss my cheek before walking off.

"Go home..."

When I finally did make it home I found George in the kitchen making hot chocolate. She leaned over the stove, her hair falling in her face as she stirred the hot milk. Her eyes met mine and she frowned, putting down the spoon.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

I didn't say anything and just leaned on the island, rubbing my temples. That reap had really gotten to me as I drove home. I kept thinking about kids and love and marriage and it was driving me fucking insane. Never had I thought about losing out on finding someone. I was a bloody reaper had more than enough time, while I was still young and charming no less, to find a suitable mate. The only problem was…she'd probably die while I never changed. _Fucking hell..._

"Mason?" George asked quietly and rested her hand on my arm.

I lifted my head and smiled at her. Ros was right, George probably never would think about not having kids. Even if she did it would be a long way off. Why was I even bothering thinking like that, anyway?

"Sorry, love, I just…long day, yeah?"

She nodded and poured two mugs full of hot chocolate and offered me one. I took it, but set it down beside me and moved to stand directly in front of her. My Georgie-girl. She was always there no matter what I needed and that meant more to me than bloody anything.

"You okay?" she asked, putting down her mug and reached up to feel my forehead. Her hands were warm and welcome on my cold face and I reached up my hands to take hers. We stood there like that for a while.

"I'm fine." I finally answered and put down our arms. She smiled and I wrapped my arms around her, one hand around her waist while the other went and stroked her hair.

She let me hold her there for a while then turned up her face to look at me. I felt that same tug I'd felt days ago when I'd almost kissed her before Daisy decided to interrupt. I leaned my head down and brushed her lips, much like that kiss I'd given her at her office. She smiled and kissed me back, her arms going to wrap around my shoulders. Yes, this was it.

I kissed her there, holding her close to me and it was the most amazing thing ever. I'd been high on some good shit in my time and had sex with some beautiful women while I was high on it, but this blew it all away. She was warm and fit into my arms, holding me to her like I was going to disappear if she let go. That was all Tripp's doing and I think I kissed her a little more deeply for it.

When we finally broke apart she looked up at me, her eyes half open. I ran a finger down her cheek and tilted her chin up for a quick peck before I kissed her forehead. This was the best high of everything I'd ever done and there'd be no hangover or anything to nurse after it.


	13. I Will Remember

Chapter 12: I Will Remember…

Rube POV

It had been another few weeks since she'd shown up at my apartment with her arm so badly torn up. She'd stayed every night since then. I looked at her: on the couch, reading the paper, cigarette hanging from those perfect lips. I couldn't even begin to recollect life without her being here. Things were so much better having true company, and someone's that I honored and cared for no less.

I leaned back in the chair, eyes down on my book but I saw no words. My mind wandered far away to times long past:

"_It's a disease of the blood, Mr. Sofer. There isn't much we can do about it now, but we'll run some more tests and try whatever we can to keep them alive…" the doctor said, looking down at the paper and back up to me._

_My mind literally stopped thinking for a moment and I leaned forward, my arm on my knee as I held up a hand to keep him from going on, "wait. Them?"_

_He nodded, "yes…Mrs. Sofer is pregnant. That's why I wanted to tell you about this now. Her pregnancy will speed up the progress of the disease, but as I said we'll try to-"_

"_Lucy's pregnant?"_

"_Yes, sir. She is pregnant, almost two months, in fact."_

_I took a breath and leaned back in the hard backed chair, running a hand over my face. No, she couldn't be pregnant. We'd been married less than a year. There was no way._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Very sure, Mr. Sofer."_

"_Will she…will she die?" my voice wavered and I looked up at him._

"_No, not now. But we'll have to be very careful with her during this pregnancy and while she has the baby…her safety and the child's life are the most important." The doctor explained and flipped the file he held with my wife's name on it closed._

"Hey…where are you?" Rosslyn's familiar soft voice called to me and I looked up, realizing I had been staring at the floor.

Her bright eyes gazed at me from the couch, the paper half draped over her stomach as she looked at me. I smiled at her and shook my head. A playful grin crossed her face and she got up, coming over to me and kissed my forehead. She was so gentle when it came to things like that; well, when it came to me and things like that. In an instant she could go from a seemingly cold, sadistic bitch to a warm hearted, kind woman who'd do anything she could for you.

"I'm here…just thinking." I answered and shut the book that was in my lap.

"What about?" she asked, sitting on the arm of the chair and laced her fingers with mine.

I leaned on her as I'd taken to doing when she was close to me. Never had I had a pillar to lean on since I died and she was an embodiment of strength that I'd come to rely on. That made me smile. I was relying on someone that wasn't just myself for personal reasons, or my reapers for work reasons, I was relying on her because I needed her.

"_Daddy! I learned all of our names today! Listen: Rose Ann Sofer, Lucy Annabelle Sofer and Rube John Sofer!" she giggled and I picked her up into my arms as I walked up the road to the house._

"_That's great, Peanut! Where's your mom? Is she in the house?" I asked, but I already knew the answer._

_Lucy would be in bed, or at least laying on it. I'd come in and give her a brief 'hello' before going outside to play with Rosie, then I'd go in while she'd make dinner and we'd fight until the food hit the table. It was as inevitable as it was repetitive._

"_Sleeping. Daddy…is mommy okay? She yelled at me again. All I was doing was sitting at the table, I promise, but she yelled at me and said she didn't want to see me for the rest of the day and I didn't do anything!" Rosie looked at me and I kissed her forehead as I had done so many times in the past._

"_You know mommy's sick and she doesn't know what she does sometimes. I'll talk to her, okay?" I cooed, putting my little girl down and ran a hand through her brown, wavy hair._

"_Okay, daddy."_

_I smiled and went in the house to find Lucy sitting on the edge of the bed. She glared up at me and I realized that I was in for it sooner than usual. I hated these days. I was so tired from work and all I wanted was to sit and not fight. But I had a better chance of getting struck by lightning in the middle of a clear day than that happening._

"_You're late…" she said in a very hollow tone._

"_Just a few minutes, honey, I stopped by the bank." I answered and paused to kiss her cheek._

_She didn't move and her face was cold, "yeah right."_

_I chose to ignore that and pulled a chair out from by the table and sat down, looking over at her. Her face was blank, literally blank. Her eyes, those once warm and expressive brown orbs, were dead and she sat ramrod straight._

"_Why were you late, Rube?" she asked, those dead eyes turning to look at me._

"_I told you. I was at the bank."_

"_Liar."_

_I rolled my eyes. Did she really want to get into this now? I had no desire to fight with her, I rarely ever had the desire to fight with her, but she was pushing my buttons so hard._

"_I was at the fucking bank, Lucy, I don't want any of your shit tonight." I answered in a very hard tone and looked over at her, "how are you feeling?"_

_She glared, the first real expression I'd seen in days. She stood up, to what I thought would be come over and yell at me, and started banging down pots for dinner. Damn it, I was so not in the mood for this._

"I'm just thinking back is all." I told Rosslyn and slid my arm around her waist and pulled her into my lap.

She smiled and leaned on me. I loved that feeling of her weight against me, it made it seem really real that there was someone who needed to lean on me as much as I needed to lean on them. God, this arrangement was amazing. Whoever would have thought that I'd end up practically living with this woman? I mean, after everything that happened while I was alive I had no fucking idea that I'd ever really be in as good of a place as this.

"_Alright, everyone, I want you on the ground and with your hands behind your head. This gun's loaded and I'm not afraid to use it." I shouted in a very calm voice even though my heart was threatening to pound its way out of my ribs._

_The gun was heavy in my hands, heavier than it looked. I never planned for things to go this far, but I was about to lose everything I had and that wasn't good enough. Rosie would NOT grow up without a home. I refused to believe that things had gotten so bad that it would ever become an option._

_Lucy's medical bills were getting too much for me and even though I worked double and triple shifts at work it still wasn't enough to cover the expenses. Rosie was growing up so fast and I was missing it because I was always at work. We rarely had enough food and I'd gone to bed without anything more than enough times so that my little girl and my sick wife would have something to eat. I was so hungry…I was hungry for money and I was hungry for power. This would definitely give me that._

"_You, guy in the suit. Put all the money in the bag and no fucking around." I ordered, pointing the gun down at one of the clerk's bald heads. _

_He scrambled to his feet and proceeded to do as I asked. I saw the bills as he moved them and my heart soared as it thumped painfully within me. Yes, this was the answer. We'd move and find more competent doctor's who help Lucy, and we'd get a bigger house with plenty to eat for Rosie and I'd finally be the father I should be. This was it. I would finally get what I wanted._

"_On the ground! I want you on the ground!" called a voice from behind me and I turned to see two cops standing there with their guns pointed at me._

_No, not this, not now. I couldn't believe it. There was no way. Why would God do this to me? Wasn't I trying to provide for my family? Shouldn't he commend me for that? No, this was just a fluke. I'd get out perfectly fine and I'd so what I had to do._

"_I mean it!" the cop yelled and I took a step toward them in hopes to explain my position._

_I think I felt the bullet hit me, but I can't be sure. I just remember feeling very light and detached like I'd never been before. I was floating and when I came to I was standing outside the bank. A man who'd asked me the time was standing outside dressed impeccably in the fashions of the day. He turned and tipped his hat to me._

"_Rube John Sofer?" He asked and came up close._

"_I am..." I answered._

"_Ah, just in time. I was worried you wouldn't be here to take Percy's place."_

_I must have stared because he smiled and took my arm, "what happened? Wasn't I just in there?"_

"_Ah, Rube, that'll all be explained, but for now we must discuss your new employment options…"_

Rosslyn's fingers worked over the back of my neck in a massage. My eyes closed and I actually heard her smile. She had taken to doing that for me when I "looked stressed out". I think in the last week and a half I'd had more massages than I'd ever had in my life. Not to say they weren't welcome and that I didn't enjoy them because they came from her wanting to help. It was almost surreal, having her there. I never would have pictured it back when I'd met her.

She was the same, well, almost the same. She seemed more in tune with me now than when we'd met. Then again, if we were so close when we'd met that might merit a few questions.

"_I'm looking for a Rube Sofer?" asked a quiet voice and I looked up from my paper to see a pair of glittering hazel eyes looking back at me._

"_You're seein' him. Who're you?" I asked and cocked an eyebrow._

"_Rosslyn L'Anders. I'm a transfer from Essex." She answered and tugged a strand of auburn hair away from her eyes._

_She was young. Well, not too young. She was slight and pretty and wore her hair unbound which was unheard of for the times. She didn't look too much younger than me, but there was something different in those bright eyes that stared at me so intently. She was old. Very old._

"_I have a transfer from Essex?"_

"_Apparently."_

_She smiled and leaned back against the chair she sat in across from me. Oh yes, she was so very different than the women of the age. There was brusqueness about her, something that rubbed you wrong, yet was endearing to her. I paused and looked her up and down again._

"_Rosslyn, hm? You don't hear that name much anymore." I mused, looking down at the paper._

"_I'm not from "much anymore" so it fits, hm?" she countered with a somewhat cocky tone._

_I liked her immediately, "really now. And when would you be from, my young friend?"_

"_Seventeen Fifty-six." She answered in a matter-of-fact way and crossed her elegantly long arms._

_I felt my jaw drop and I stared, looking up at her from the paper, "Seventeen…fifty-six?" _

_She nodded, "I'm now your elder…boss." She smiled and I nodded._

We were lying in bed now. It was early, but in our line of work you couldn't afford to lose what little precious sleep you could get. It was amazing, since she'd started to stay nights I'd slept better than I had in years. This was definitely to my benefit. No longer was I plagued with lucid dreams and the inability to sleep after waking up during the night. Every night since she started to stay was spent with my arm curled around her with her head pillowed on my shoulder. It was what dreams were made of.

"So what're you thinking about, hm?" she asked, looking up at me.

"You." I smiled and kissed her forehead lightly.

She smiled as well and I could feel her mind reaching out to mine as it had done so many times. Again I thanked all the training she had to endure to be able to do that because it helped to ease the situations where words would just ruin things.

"Why me?" she asked playfully.

"Thinking back to when I met you and you were just this little fragile thing…" I mused and pulled her closer to me.

"I resent that. I was never 'fragile.'"

"Wanna bet?"

She grinned and conceded with a kiss to my cheek as she laid back down. I barely felt her weight against me. It was times like this when she felt so small in my arms and I had to fight to not feel as though I'd break her.

_It was relatively early yet and I'd taken to reading before I went to bed. It helped me sleep when sleep was so precious these days. I'd heard rumors from Penny, a reaper who I'd come to befriend, about insomnia and how it affected out kind so much. I wish rumors were nothing more than gossip. This was hell._

_A knock at my door sounded and jarred me from my thoughts. Who would be calling on me so late? Well, not late for me, but still late for the rest of the world. I stood and the knocking came again, louder and more urgent. I opened the door and caught the small frame of a girl as she fell to her knees outside my door._

_Familiar auburn hair covered the girl's face and I recognized Rosslyn's small, lithe form. What was she doing here so late? I helped her to her feet with no help from her and lifted her head to see her covered in blood. This was nothing new for a reaper: we got covered in people's blood all the time. But as I looked I saw that it was her own seeping out from angry looking holes in her chest._

"_Shit, what happened to you?" I asked and pulled her into my, at the time, flat that had little more in it than a bed, couch and chair._

_She looked up at me, face bloodied and battered and in an even quieter voice than she ever used she pleaded to me, "Help me. Help me please."_

_I nodded and helped her to the couch. There was blood everywhere and I could feel my stomach start to churn. I didn't mind blood, but when it was spilling from a person who I'd come to be friends with and genuinely like I felt sick. If she weren't already dead she'd be dying right now._

"_Reap…too many…" she whispered and I saw her eyes glaze over._

"_No, no, no, no…stay with me. Wake up, Rosslyn, come on." I urged her and ripped the blouse down the middle at the buttons to try and make sense as to why the wounds weren't healing like they should be._

_There was a serious risk that she would bleed to death on my couch if something didn't happen fast. What to do? What had she done? What was I supposed to do to help her?_

"_What did you do?" I kept asking her over and over until she finally looked at me and reached up a hand to squeeze in my own. I suddenly felt hot and confined._

_In my head I saw everything. I saw her taking a very angry looking soul which promptly turned into what looked like nothing I'd ever seen and attack her. Another angry looking man grabbed her from behind and held her while that…thing…clawed at her. She struggled and finally got loose, putting a hand over the beast's chest and Lights suddenly flickered to take it away, leaving her on the ground writhing in pain, She had nowhere else to go and was scared she wouldn't make it through the night. I heard her fears and I heard her pain. This wouldn't heal in a night and there was a risk that she wouldn't make it. _

"_Not on my time." I muttered and turned to try and get something that would help her._

I felt the steady movement of her chest as she slipped off to sleep. My hands moved through her hair and I felt the tug in my chest of something that I think I'd been trying to avoid for some time. Yes, I was coming to terms with the fact that I had feelings for someone other than my wife. Yes, I was coming to terms with the fact that my wife and I weren't exactly made for each other. Yes, I was coming to terms with the fact that maybe, just maybe, the woman laying at my side could be the person I was made to be with. What of it?

She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Those same bright, emotional, deep hazel eyes looked into mine and she leaned up to kiss me. I pulled her as close as I could have her and kissed her back. She was warm where I was cold. She was light where I was dark. She was happiness where I was in pain. I felt as though something had been completed in me. Was that how it was supposed to feel?

The slow, easy kiss was broken and she slid down to be cradled in my arms again. This had to be it. It had to be. Was I crazy? Was I crazy all those years ago when she'd left and I missed her more than I ever missed anything? Was I crazy for, even to my own awe, sometimes wishing she had lived in my time while I'd been alive so we could share the joys of having a child together? Was I crazy for feeling sadness for her when I knew she'd never know the joy of being a mother while I knew she'd have been one of the best?

_Hush, you're keeping me awake._ I felt the butterfly wings in the corner of my mind and I slowed my train of thought. She smiled in her sleep and I tangled my fingers in those curls. I smiled down at her, _sorry_.

I looked down and tried to, a little more quietly, rationalize this. What was this? What was this feeling? Did I…no, it wasn't possible. Even for as long as I'd known her there was no way. I couldn't. I couldn't…

_I love you too._


	14. Delores and Herbig Crush?

Chapter 13: Delores and Herbig Crush?

OPOV

It was yet another wet, grey morning at Happy Time Temp Agency. The cold glass windows with the obnoxious smiling face looked out at the brooding figure that stood between them and the door. Rube's dark eyes glared into the fluorescent lit room filled with cubicles and tried to force himself to go in. He really disliked the place. Disliked it with a fiery passion.

_I should have stolen one of Ros's cigarettes before this…how does George do it every day?_ He walked over to the reception desk and Crystal's smiling, slightly odd face looked up to him and they talked for a few minutes. The older woman had been so good to the reapers what with the whole letting them use the computers after George had up and quit, helped them with paperwork and didn't even ask what the whole 'last thought' thing was about. She was a good woman and Rube understood that. If reapers had allies, because let's face it, you really wouldn't want to just hang out with someone who probably was sent to take your soul before you got hit by a bus, piano, car, flaming toilet seat, etc. She was probably one the better people in the world currently and his little band of reapers had her on their side…if it ever came down to sides.

"Hey there, Rube, long time no see." She smiled as he leaned against the desk and secretly prayed a cigarette would appear out of thin air.

"Hey, yourself. Is, uh, is Millie around? I need to talk to her." He asked, tossing a look toward the rows of desks.

"Talk to Delores, she would know."

"…" he paused and took a moment to take in the suggestion. _Fuck me._

So, he went on his way to seek out the maternal figure of the office. Sure, she was the boss, but in all of her "be one with the company" bullshit she maintained a semi-motherly relationship with her coworkers. George didn't take so well to it because she never really liked the idea of an authority figure, him included, so all of Delores' ideas were lost on the blonde.

"Ms. Herbig?" Rube asked as he lingered in the opening between the carpeted half-wall of her cubicle.

Brown eyes looked up to meet his and that "how may I help you?" tight-lipped smile passed her face. God, he hated that smile. He knew it was fake. He knew she didn't want to deal with him because he wasn't dressed in a business suit wielding a file she needed copied or whatever. So, he was bothering her on her time. Well, and his time too.

"Oh! You're Rube! I'm sorry; I thought you were someone…else." She smiled again, this time it was a little more genuine.

She really didn't need to cover for it, Rube knew that she had expected to see someone probably more worth her time rather than someone who was out to steal away one of her employees for the day. Ah well, he had to do what he had to do and that was that. He took a breath and sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs before her desk.

"I was wondering…is Millie around? I need to talk to her about something." Rube asked as Delores leaned back in her chair and tugged on the end of her white ascot.

"You've always been such a devoted sponsor…but, is Millie….you know….again?" Delores asked as she rested her hands on her desk.

"Oh…no, well, this is kind of a preventative thing. I need her for the rest of the day for a…" his mind whirled for something convincing enough to get George out of work, "group session to…talk about the major stress in life and the ways we as a group need to lean on each other. You know, "all for one and one for all"?" Rube asked hoping to god that she'd smile that 'I'm so glad someone else gets that concept!' smile and let George go. _Please…_

And there was the smile. There it was still as she looked at him for good few moments before she shook her head in almost an attempt to clear the look off of her face and fluff her hair a bit, "Millie's in a meeting with some new employees for a little while, bit you're welcome to stay until she gets done. It shouldn't be too much longer." Delores practically gushed.

"Um, that'd be fine, but I'm on a really tight schedule. She needs to change and all before we go and…." He was cut off as George herself walked up to the cubicle with an exasperated/angry look on her face which promptly turned to surprise upon seeing Rube sitting there.

"Uh…what's going on? Some kind of meeting I missed?" George asked and as Delores prattled on about how they were discussing…something, George didn't pay enough attention to notice what it was she had said she mouthed 'the fuck are you doing here?' to Rube.

He smiled, but stayed silent as he stood and put a hand on her shoulder, turning to Delores, "So, she's been good for you then? No outbursts or questioning your authority, Ms. Herbig?"

Delores smiled, "Delores, please, and no. She's just the same wonderful little thing she's always been."

"I see. Uh, Millie, we have a group thing to go to this afternoon and I need you to go with me. Delores has said you could have the rest of the day off. So get your coat and we're out of here." Rube said, and George's head darted up to look at him.

"Group thing?" she asked, her eyebrows gathering in confusion.

"You know, _a group thing._" Rube's voice changed on the last two words and George nodded knowingly.

"Ah, yeah, I really think I need to go, Delores. I might miss something important." George turned to look at her boss and plastered a smile on her face.

"Well, I'm just so glad your sponsor is so involved with your life, Millie. I wish I'd had someone that devoted when I had my little problem." Delores gushed and walked around to the two of them.

George and Rube shared a quick glance to each other for a moment then smiled up at Delores with the biggest 'dear god, get the fuck away from me' look in their eyes that they could muster. She didn't get the hint. She chatted up something about Millie's great contribution to Happy Time, which made George gag slightly in her mind. Rube took it only for another few minutes before he checked his watch and put another faux paternal hand on George's shoulder and started to lead her out.

"I'm sorry, Ms Herbig-err, Delores, but we do have to go. I'll probably be around or something after too long. Come on…Millie." Rube gestured out and paused to look at Delores one more time before they started to walk out of the building to their cars.

"Hopefully I will see you soon." Delores called after them as they met the elevator.

"She's…odd." Rube said finally as they turned toward the parking garage.

"That doesn't even begin to explain it." George answered and pulled the keys out to her car.

Rube handed her a piece of paper and an envelope that was upon further inspection filled with a nice chunk of cash, "There's address and the dress is very formal so get something nice, hm?"

George cocked an eyebrow. She didn't do 'formal'. She didn't go to prom when she was in high school, she never got her nails or anything done, hell, she'd never had anyone fuck with her hair aside from just getting it cut. This would definitely be an adventure.

It was an irony worthy of most jokes. It was something neither of them would have ever thought to have happened. Yeah, well the best things often happened out of irony. Who would have ever thought that Daisy and Roxy would…be friends? Or something like friends, anyway. They talked more now since it seemed as though the rest of the group had paired off and after Daisy had come and told the rest of the group about her findings concerning Rosslyn.

"So…how are things with William going?" Daisy asked as she sipped her coffee from the chipped, white mug.

"Good, I suppose. It's been so long since I've dated anyone that I almost forgot how, you know?" Roxy answered, stirring at her lemonade with a spoon.

"Wait, he was the one you met at the airport that one time when that woman got crushed by her suitcase, right?" The security guard?" the blonde cocked an eyebrow. It was so fitting…a cop with a security guard.

"The French girl? Yeah, that was him. We've been out a few times since he asked me out last month, but I don't know…I hate keeping shit like this from Rube, but you know how he is with that 'periphery' bullshit."

"It's just a reaper thing. But…William's alive…right?"

"I..yeah. I mean, of course he is." Roxy stammered and leaned back against the green vinyl.

"Well, that's why. Then again George and that…one guy…but that's just more of an example to keep the living just as means for sex rather than a relationship."

"It's more than just sex, Daisy…I like him."

"So you're going out again when?" Daisy asked and cocked a perfect blonde eyebrow.

"I told him I needed a few days to relax…after the other night I want to make sure my head's cleared…"

"What happened the other night?" Daisy asked.

_They were sitting at his table, a few dishes between them. Roxy's dark brown eyes looked over to William as they talked. She was tired…it had been such a long day. Yeah, the police work was difficult but having to deal with some poor idiot…actually no, just a regular idiot who thought it might be a good idea to try and grab his wallet that was going through a wood chipper made the day that much more unbearable. The night was welcome, but she was not in the mood to sit and be even semi-romantic._

"_You look dead…" William started which caused Roxy to look up quickly with a scared expression on her face._

"_What?"_

"_I said you look dead...you know, tired?" He asked, his eyes widening in emphasis._

_Roxy visibly relaxed and leaned back in the chair. It wasn't late or anything but she was so ready to go to bed and had she and William been dating longer than just a few weeks she might have suggested staying just for the convenience of not having to drive home. He smiled and cleared the dishes just as Roxy made a bee line for the couch. She sat down and leaned her head on the arm trying to will herself to stay awake. _

"_Today sucked so bad…" she murmured._

"_Why? What happened?" came a voice and she jumped a little to find William sitting in the chair._

"_The normal crap….and that fucker with the wood chipper just refused to listen to me. I about beat the hell out of him…"_

"_Guy with the wood chipper?"_

"_He just refused to believe me and he kept arguing with me...I almost…" Roxy started but then realized just what it was she was saying and blinked a few times. She needed to go to bed._

"_What now?"_

"_Nothing…I have to go…" She said and got up to get her coat._

"I might have almost mentioned something…about...the whole reaping thing." Roxy answered.

"You didn't!" Daisy exclaimed a little louder than she liked.

"Didn't what?" Rube asked as he sauntered up to the table in his usual manner.

"Nothing." Roxy answered quickly and moved to let him into his usual seat.

It was rare to catch Rube without Rosslyn anymore. The two seemed to be joined at the hip these days and Roxy had noticed that it seemed to make him happier. Happier than he'd been in years, or so it looked.

Two white envelopes were placed before the two women and they looked over at their boss with raised eyebrows. Thais was new. No Post-It? No reap? No way.

"High Class today, ladies. I expect you both in formal dress and at this address at the scheduled time. You're late and I will not hesitate to whip your ass in public." He said in a very even tone.

"Formal dress? As in…gowns?" Daisy asked, a sudden happiness glowing in her cheeks.

"Yes, all that…fancy shit. Where's Mason?"

Roxy shrugged and took a drink of her lemonade. Mason had taken to being much better about…well, everything in last few weeks or so. This was new and both Rube and Roxy were happy about this new transformation although today it seemed that he was lapsing a bit.

"I think he said something about...music…and a guitar…I think." Daisy murmured, looking around in the same way Rube was in attempt to find their British cohort.

The bell above the door jangled as it always did in the same familiar tones. In walked Rosslyn. Yes, there was no way Rube would be alone for too long without his now other half. She did look a tad out of it that morning, tired and a little drawn. Still, she was as fluid and graceful as always as Roxy moved to let her slide in next to Rube.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked, pulling off her gloves and blowing into her hands.

Roxy gave her a look. She hadn't trusted Rosslyn for a long time and not even Daisy had the acting ability to lie about the shit she'd supposedly "seen" happen to Rosslyn. Then again, neither she nor Rube were talking so that had to mean something. So, she regarded the visiting reaper with a distant smile as they sat for a moment.

"Group reap tonight." Rube answered her after a moment and handed her a similar envelope.

Rosslyn opened the white flap and peeked inside, a grin spreading to her face upon the sight of the stack on money within, "hell yes."

"Formal dress." Rube again said in response to her, his voice as flat as ever.

"I can handle that. There anything special for me, here?" she asked.

"Dunno. That's your department not mine."

Roxy rolled her eyes. They'd adopted this…special talking thing. Or maybe they'd always had it and no one noticed but it certainly was annoying at times. It was as if they could read each other's minds or something and they only spoke when necessary to actually relay that other people were around them.

"So...what is it? Wedding? Birthday? Prom?" Daisy asked, fingering a hundred dollar bill with a manicured finger.

"Birthday…ball…thing. It's some old rich guy." Rube answered.

"So Daisy's fucking some old, rich guy then, yeah? Who is it now? Donald Trump? Bill Gates?" asked Mason's lilting accent as he pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table.

"Fuck you, Mason." Was all Daisy answered and Mason playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

"Now children…" Rube started and the two quieted.

"Mason, you think you can handle getting some formal clothes and _not_ embarrassing me tonight?" Rube asked, handing over Mason's envelope.

"Formal? Like what kind of formal?"

"Tuxedo…showering...the whole nine yards?"

"Ah, yeah that. Maybe. Probably. We'll see, won't we?"

Rube rolled his eyes and pushed through both Ros and Roxy to get out and hold up his hands, "Any of you fuck up and I'll kill you…again."

Daisy rushed out not too long after in search of "the perfect dress." Roxy stayed only to finish her drink and leave a hefty tip for Kiffany before finishing up her duty that morning. That left Mason and Ros alone for a while to sit and talk.

"So…how're things with George?" Ros finally asked, folding her arms on the table and turning to look at Mason.

"Good. Very good." He answered and leaned back, hands resting in his lap.

"Good good. Going to try and impress her tonight then?"

"Well yeah. I'd be fucking stupid if I didn't. I mean, here I am with a chance to actually look the part of the British gentleman and I won't give it up. "

"Admirable, Drill Bit, very admirable."

This earned her a smirk and a playful shove from Mason. No one except her called him that anymore. He hated that nickname more than anything. Only when she, or anyone, used it did he feel George's pain with the whole 'Peanut' thing.

"Fuck you, don't call me that."

"I'll call you whatever I want. Now come on, we're going to get you all kinds of dolled up for tonight." Rosslyn urged and stood, grabbing his arm.

"Eh?"

"I'm going to make sure you do this right."

"Why do you care so much?"

"You're like a brother to me…and I'd hate to see you fuck up things with George."

"Is that for her benefit or mine?" Mason asked as Ros led him to her car and unlocked his door.

"Haven't decided yet. After tonight I'll tell you."

"Fuck…"

_1313 Bonne Ave.  
__8:12 PM  
__FORMAL DRESS_

George, Rube, Roxy, and Daisy all stood on the corner of the street waiting for, as Rube apparently had planned, a car to come get them. All of them in their "fancy-schmancy pants" as Daisy had playfully called it looked very handsome in their own ways. George wore a strapless, blue satin gown that barely skimmed the wet pavement under her stiletto heels. Rube sported a tuxedo that seemed to melt off about ten or fifteen years from him, and Roxy was a vision in a pale purple dress. Daisy though, seemed to be a whole other entity. She was in an immaculate cream colored gown that seemed to wrap around her and accentuate all the right places. If there was ever a way to get old and rich, or young and rich for that matter men after her…this was the way to do it.

Mason and Ros were conspicuously missing though and this troubled Rube to no end. It seemed his ever-perfect Rosslyn had slipped up a bit and Mason was back to his old shit once again. And this was so not the night to be screwing with Rube's nerves. He paced the wet sidewalk with a face that would have made a crazy person get on with what they were doing he looked off down the street in attempts to locate his missing reapers. This was not going well for him.

The car turned down from the corner at the end of the block, causing Rube to curse out loud and run a hand through his short hair. _The fuck are they…._ If he was short two that meant he'd have to redo the books and management hated when you had to redo what they'd already assigned. But what the fuck? Where was Rosslyn? She never pulled shit like this.

The car pulled up and the driver got out opening the door for the small group. Rube shook his head and scanned the misty street for some sign of life that remotely even looked like Ros or Mason. Nothing. Damn. As he turned his head to climb in he was met with a very debonair looking Mason sitting in the leather seat by the other window accompanied by Ros on the seat across from him.

"What…are you doing?" Rube asked as he climbed in, followed by the rest of the group.

"We thought we'd hitch a ride rather than wait…" Rosslyn answered and seemed to discretely pat the seat beside her which Rube took immediately.

"Your assignment was to meet us here." The older man started and lifted a hand in pre-rant form.

"Oh come on now, Rubey, we're here and that's all that matters isn't it?" Mason asked as George slid in beside him looking slightly more than a little shocked at his appearance.

Rosslyn had done wonders. Mason wore an all black tux which offered the slight undertone of a rocker underneath his newly clean-shaven and sweet looking exterior. His bright eyes glowed from the smile he wore as the blonde looked him over with her mouth gaping slightly open. Even his hair, which was usually a mass of semi-shapeless curls was done up in a faux Mohawk. He looked good.

Rosslyn too, had changed things up a bit. Her dress was a dark grey that laced up the back. Unlike the rest of the girls who had their hair pulled up or back she chose to let it fall naturally into the auburn ringlets that accentuated her ability to stand out just that much more. This, which was her true intention, caused Rube to give her the once-over about twenty times in the car on the way to the party.

It was a grand gala event and everyone who was anyone was there. Apparently a Mr. G. Donaldson's birthday coincided with the opening of a new franchise so they pooled the parties into a cornucopia of festivity. This suited the merry band just fine. It was so much easier to blend in with groups of people rather than just a few.

Each of the reapers held their Post-It or carried it with them and after a nod from Rube they went on their way to try and find their reap. Daisy trailed off between a few of the older men and started flirting in her shamelessly calm way. There was the way she smiled at them with a glimmer of something in her eyes allowed her to move seamlessly and slide a hand along an older man's shoulder with the familiar wisp of his soul popping before she walked away. Roxy too floated easily through the crowd and stopped only to toss back a glass of champagne with a woman before she found her reap. Mason and George though took a different route.

They moved toward the middle of the crowd away from Rube's prying eyes and Mason slid his hand into hers before he pulled her a bit to turn her around, "You really do look lovely tonight, Georgie."

She blushed slightly and squeezed his hand, "so do you. I mean, you look very hand handsome. How'd you…I mean, you look amazing, but…how?"

Mason fought the urge to run a hand through his hair as he was prone to do when he was nervous and smiled down at her, "Rosslyn helped me. She wanted me to 'do this right' or whatever the fuck it was."

George cocked an eyebrow before catching them each a glass of champagne and handed him one, "then, to her success, yeah?"

Mason smiled back and they clinked glasses before turning away from each other to find their marks. Rube, who was amazingly Post-It free, leaned against the back wall and looked out amongst the crowd of high class(not to mention highly drunk) business people. He shook his head. He hated these types…these group reaps. It really was sad knowing that a handful of people or more were at their end…and at such an affair as well.

The man of the evening, Mr. G. Donaldson, was standing with his arm wrapped possessively around his secretary. She stared off with a fake smile plastered on what Rosslyn assumed to be a mostly plastic face. He talked and laughed loudly with a group of other men and they broke out into hysterical laughter over some inane joke just as Rosslyn walked up. Almost immediately the laughter stopped and the men stared, leaving the poor secretary to glare over at her new competition for their amusement.

"Hi, boys, I'm looking for the man of the hour." She smiled and tossed her hair in a calculated, flirtatious way as the men all stopped.

"That would be me. And you are…?" G. Donaldson asked, sliding his arm from around the skeleton-like waist of his escort.

"I'm a fiancé of one your guys…I just wanted to wish you happy birthday…" she said and ran a hand along his shoulder, the feeling of his soul leaving his body going with her as she turned to find her date.

Mason and George were, by now, seated at a table sitting very close together and talking quietly. Thankfully Rube and the rest were off doing something and they were free to talk as they liked. George carefully let her hand brush his arm and Mason even let himself brush a kiss over her forehead after a few minutes of convincing himself he wouldn't be shot for it. This earned him a kiss on the cheek.

"You look right beautiful, love, really."

"So you've told me, but thanks again."

"I was wondering something, Georgie-girl…"

She cocked an eyebrow; this was not something that usually started off Mason's sentences, "Hm?"

"Would you like to, em, perhaps maybe like to go out with me…again?" he asked, looking at her from out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded and he took her hand again before knocking back another glass of champagne. It was definitely a good night to be a reaper.

Rosslyn weaved her way back through the crowd of drunken, possibly horny businessmen to fine Rube leaning against one of the back walls. She tugged at her hair in almost a nervous fashion and joined him, casting a sidelong glance over. He caught her gaze and smiled, sliding one hand out to run his fingers down her arm. That alone was enough to make her smile.

"No reaps tonight, boss man?" she asked him, crossing her arms.

"Nope. I'm just the proctor."

She smiled as the quartet started up some sad excuse for a waltz and watched at the drunken idiots and their equally drunken wives started to try and glide across the floor. It wasn't a pretty sight. It was funny, but certainly not pretty.

"Want to show them how it's done?" Rube asked.

"Huh?"

"The waltz. Want to show them how it's really done?"

"Oh. Yes. I'd love to." Rosslyn answered and let herself be led out by his hand onto the floor.

Just the feeling of being in his arms and moving together made everything seem all right. There was no death and there were no problems. It was just the two of them and even as she felt four particular pairs of eyes lock on her she couldn't help but smile. Sure, it was a dance, but Rube did hold her closer than necessary to move around and she did look up into his eyes more than 'just a friend' would. She didn't care and he didn't care. For a moment it was just the two of them. Well, it was just the two of them until she felt the familiar tug in her mind then the searing pain rip through her thoughts.

She pushed Rube away and clutched at her chest. It was too hard to breathe and the dress wasn't making it any easier. One was close and knew she was there and it was making damn sure to let her know it. Something that felt like claws ripped through her brain and she put her hands on her head and cried out just as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"What is it?" Rube asked her and the moment she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes he merely just gazed back at her with a knowing stare.

"I have to go…" she whispered and pulled out of his arms.

"Now?"

She turned to face him, her hands balling into fists, "I'll…see you around." She wanted to say more, but at the risk of letting something slip she just turned an walked away. She didn't want to go and knowing she had to leave without so much as a hug or kiss made her heart ache more than it already was. _Set it aside for now…it's time to work._

The next morning at Happy Time George came in wearing probably the biggest smile anyone had ever seen her with. There was a swing in her step that morning for the first time in days and even though her moods were getting progressively better; it seemed as though something had happened enough to make a total transformation. Everyone noticed, Delores most of all.

"Millie! You look so happy!" she gushed as George sat down and turned on the computer.

"I am happy…last night was…" she paused to think of something convincing that would make an alcoholic happy, "it was really good for all of us. There was a lot of group bonding." That ought to hold her over for a while.

"I'm so glad. And that sponsor of yours, Rube, he's so devoted. I just think he's so good for you. Speaking of, I do have a teensy little question to ask."

"What's that?"

"I was wondering if…well, you know I know that's nothing like a dating circle or anything, but…is he seeing anyone?"

George almost fell over at the question. Huge brown eyes stared at Delores, waiting for the punch line of the joke, but it never came. Delores looked on with the same even smile she wore all the time expecting an answer, but George could do nothing more than stand there and attempt not to throw up.

"You…what?"

"I was wondering if he was single. Is that so hard to believe, Millie?"

"I…no, it's just that it's…it's Rube, you know? He's my sponsor and it's weird and…you _like_ him?"

"I think he's a fine man, Millie."

"I…wow, I need a minute to sit and think about this."

Delores cocked an eyebrow and nodded, going back to her desk. George sat there for a good while and stared down into the fake wood grain of her desk. It was disgusting…her boss had a crush on…good Christ, her boss. How fucked up was that? _Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew._

The phone rang and she picked up, expecting to hear Delores or some random person wanting a file or something. Instead she heard Mason's familiar accent and a slow smile crept up on her face, "hey."

"Rube's on his way to see you. I thought you might want to know."

"Again? Why this time?"

"Dunno. Just thought you'd want a heads up."

"Thanks, oh, and I have something good to tell you tonight…you'll fucking wet yourself."

"…and that's good?"

"Never mind, I'll see you at home."

She hung up and sat. Rube was coming back up? Another reap? She already had her Post-It for the day, was it so much to get a day's work in without being pestered by death? Of course it was, death ruins everything. God, this was so fucked up and now he was coming back? Did he have a thing for Delores? _EW. EW. EW. EW. EW. EW. EW._

"Have you seen Rosslyn, Peanut?" asked a voice, Rube's voice.

George looked up, "huh? No, why?"

He cursed softly and leaned on her cubicle. He looked exhausted and, if she wasn't mistaken, was still wearing the tuxedo pants from the night before. _The fuck happened there?_

"Mr. Rube! How great to see you again! What brings you back by Happy Time? Another…meeting?" Delores gushed after having gotten up and scurried over to George's cubicle.

"No, I just needed to ask our star employee here a question's all." Rube answered and toyed with the hat in his hands.

"Ah, I see. Well then…actually, I have a question of my own for you. Would you join me over at my desk?" Delores asked, smoothing her navy blue skirt with one hand as Rube looked over in a semi-conscious stare and nodded, following after her.

Now, George was no person to condone gossiping, but in this case she had to know what was going on and just the sight of their mouths moving wasn't enough. Risking probable un-life and limb to find out what this "question" was could have been a likely solution, but instead she decided to be covert and duck under the top of Delores' cubicle and eavesdrop.

Sadly, audio was an issue. Obviously Delores wanted to keep her voice low in case someone got suspicious and tried to listen in. This didn't help George at all so she settled down to try and lip read with little to no luck.

As Delores and Rube talked she saw how her Happy Time boss's facial expressions changed faster than a speeding bullet. She barely got out what looked like a sentence or two before Rube held up his hands and was explaining something in his "I'm calm and you're hysterical" manner. George knew that manner and it made her want to punch him for using it on Delores who hardly deserved it. After the talk Rube made a quick exit and Delores sat down for a moment before going to work on her computer.

"So…how'd it go?" George asked.

Delores looked up and had probably the saddest face George had ever seen on her. She stared glumly at the screen and absently clicked a few buttons, "he's seeing someone."

George's eyebrows rose in surprise, "what? Who?"

Delores shrugged, "he said something about that he and his 'significant other'(she seemed to spit out those words) have been together for a while and that they were old friends."

George's mouth gaped open, "Rosslyn? You're fucking kidding me? They're dating?"

Delores shrugged again, "men are pigs, Millie, they just are."

"God….damn…"


	15. Let It Slip

Chapter 14: Let It Slip

OPOV

The date wasn't anything special as far as Roxy was concerned. Sure, they'd been going out a few times a week since last month, but there was no way in hell that it would ever last. He was patient, she was spontaneous, he was quiet, she was rowdy, he was sweet, and she was a bitch. It all came down to logistics and there was no way it would ever work. Well, and the whole alive-dead thing helped matters on that end.

"So, what'll it be tonight?" William asked as they climbed into his car and he turned the key in the ignition.

Roxy's eyes fluttered down to the Post-It hidden carefully in her palm before she smiled up at him, "I was thinking somewhere maybe down by the docks? You know they have all those nice restaurants and stuff."

He nodded and they started down toward the water. Maybe if she was lucky they'd get there and he'd have to go to the bathroom and she could take care of things. Her reap was in a bar, but someone was bound to notice her touching whoever it was before they died. This included William and she wasn't about to try and explain that. No, not after all the shit that had happened in his presence already what with the whole…people dying at the airport and whatnot.

"I know there's a nice place on Ferry Avenue…I have the address. It's supposed to be cool." She blinked a few times and turned her gaze out the windshield.

"That's fine…" he nodded and they drove out.

_M. Cunningham  
1679 Ferry Ave.  
E.T.D 8:48 pm_

William looked over at Roxy as they pulled up. She grinned guiltily as they pulled up in front of the address she told him. This was definitely not a _nice place._ The seedy bar was filled with what looked like just –legal teenagers with music blaring out into the street. It screamed crap, but Roxy just kept on smiling.

"Come on, I'll bet it's better than it looks…" she urged him on and checked her watch. It was eight thirty.

"No, let's go somewhere else. I don't like the looks of this place, Rox." William argued and moved to put the car into reverse.

Roxy's hand flew to grab his and she glared at him, "thirty minutes. Just half an hour, that's all I'm asking."

"Why do you care so much about a teen haunt? Are you supposed to be undercover or something?"

Roxy blinked and faked a knowing smile, "maybe."

A smile crossed William's face and he put the car in park again before turning off the engine, "you amaze me."

She shrugged and opened the door, climbing out into the cold and wet of the evening. God, she hated this music…all that bass pumping so loud you couldn't hear any actual music, and everything was covered in a thick layer of smoke. Had she had her badge on her she would have started carding people, but tonight wasn't about work. Well, after one reap it wasn't about work.

Her mind whirled as she hunted for an excuse to try and find out who this M. Cunningham was. She couldn't yell it out, she told William she was undercover, but she'd never find he/she/it without finding out any names. So, she used the cop angle to her advantage.

"Okay, I'm going to go up to the bartender or whoever it is that runs this place and ask about he regulars…you want to start asking people if they know my guy? M. Cunningham." Roxy asked and cast a sidelong glance at a group of kids.

William nodded and they turned in different directions. Yes, this was definitely shaping up to be a good thing. Not only did this keep her free from any kind of suspicion, but she got to see her man in action. _My man? God, I need to stop watching TV late at night._

After much hunting and her heart racing to the idea that it was four minutes until her reap's ETD William waved her over to a batch of kids by a wall. He discretely pointed to a boy, all decked out in baggy jeans, huge t-shirt and a cap hung low over his eyes. Roxy smiled. This was it.

"'Scuse me, I'm looking for M. Cunningham?" Roxy asked, sliding into the circle of kids.

He looked up, "who wants to know?"

She smiled and grabbed his chin, tugging it from one side to the other and popped his soul in the process before letting go, "they lied. You look clean to me."

He blinked and started to head for her, but William cut him off and stared down at the kid. He wouldn't have had a chance in hell. Actually, it was kind of funny.

"Stand down, kid, she's a cop."

M. Cunningham held up his hands in mock surrender and headed for the door. Little did he, or William for that matter, know that he'd be plowed by a car after tripping over his stylishly low jeans in the middle of the street.

"So, it's been half an hour. Let's go, huh?" Roxy asked.

They sat in a quiet bar, two beers between them. They talked in low voices about life and everything in it. He'd been in the army and had some trouble, and she'd been a cop for only a few months. It worked out, really, only something kept bothering him. That 'other job' she hinted at…what was that about?

"So…you do more than just police work, hm?" he asked, taking a sip from his bottle.

She blinked and stared, _what the fuck did he just ask me?_ William kept on smiling as though she was supposed to answer, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"What?" was all she came up with.

"I said you do more than police work. A few days ago you said something about a guy not listening with a wood chipper. The hell was that about?"

Roxy panicked, "Uh? That? I also…do…social work. Yeah, I work with some…of the more unstable types in my off hours." She lied and prayed it would be convincing enough.

"So, not only do you protect and serve, but you also help the less mentally stable? Aren't you a saint?" he smiled and reached a hand across the table to take hers.

"What can I say?"

"You know…it really doesn't surprise me. You're an amazing, if not mysterious, woman, Roxy. Hell, I don't think I know your last name. That takes talent."

"It's Harvey. And I'm not that amazing."

"I'll bet when you were little you were a girl scout. I mean, what we do when we're younger shapes who we are now. Look at me….I fucked up in the military and caused some problems and now I try and protect those that need it."

Roxy chuckled. Hell, she was older now than she was before and if the years of her un-life counted then she'd be way the fuck older than she was, "yeah, I hear you…" she nodded and took a pull of her beer.

"What were you like? You know…teenager and what not?" he asked.

She smiled, "I loved to dance…I taught it and I lived it. God, all my friends were so jealous. I even got a bid to go work in New York. I wanted to so bad, but then that bitch Clara had to go and ki-err, screw me over. All over a stupid little invention…now here I am as a cop and she's a millionaire." Her eyes narrowed at the last bit and she almost spit at the name 'Clara.'

"What'd she do to you?" William asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I was the one who helped invent leg warmers and she stole the idea and got a patent before I could. It was so fucked up."

William nodded, "damn, that does suck. Who'd have known, huh?"

Roxy nodded, "no shit."

As they sat and talked for a while longer William's mind wandered at her story. Something was wrong about it, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. It was when they were driving home that it hit him. Yes, there was one thing that didn't quite add up.

_She doesn't even look thirty yet…and leg warmers were from the eighties…if she was a teenager when it happened, she'd be close to forty by now. The fuck?_


	16. Behind My Back

Chapter 15: Behind My Back

OPOV

The morning was colder than usual. That bothered her as she curled up underneath the white sheets and attempted to summon up some kind of warmth in her. Hazel eyes fluttered open to see that no fire was in the fireplace as it usually was this time of morning, but instead it was cold and dark. Rube was nowhere to be found and instantly her stomach clenched. Something was wrong.

Rosslyn dressed quickly and in the warmest clothes she could find. Something about waking up just didn't feel right in a very bad way. Was a reap close by? No, that wasn't it, that felt completely different. Something ate at her as she walked to breakfast though. Perhaps it was the fact that Rube was nowhere to be seen and that was very unusual for him. Usually he woke up just the same time she did. What was wrong with her? She checked her watch and gasped out loud. It was already almost eight. How in the hell did she sleep so late. Suddenly her walk turned into a run and she bounded up the street to Der Waffle Haus as fast as she could.

The bells sounded as normal as she came quickly in. All eyes from their table looked at her and conversation stopped. Even Rube, who looked on at her with a smile in his eyes, quieted immediately and the rest just stared up at her.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late." She said and pulled up a chair as to avoid anyone having to move.

They all nodded, but still kept silent. Something was definitely wrong, and it was there at that table. Someone wasn't telling her something and fear bubbled up into her throat. What was going on?

"Did…I…miss something?" she asked, looking around to the still faces of the reapers.

"No, not at all." Daisy answered and took a drink of her juice.

There was something about the tone of Daisy's voice that put up a red flag. She answered way too quickly for Rosslyn's liking, and if there was anything she'd learned during her extensive long un-life it was how to catch a liar.

"Come on guys, seriously, what's been going on lately?" Rosslyn asked, panic starting to choke her.

"You're paranoid, girl." Roxy answered.

"No, I'm not. I want someone to tell me why I've been ignored for the last two weeks. Why do you guys suddenly stop talking when I get here?"

Her eyes darted to Rube with a pleading look, but he very discretely shook his head in a "don't do this" fashion. No, now she really wanted to know. Only when he did that was something big going on and she had to know what it was, especially if it had to do with her. Her bright eyes widened as she looked at each member of the table, trying to gauge anything from their expressions. It seemed they had been spending way too much time with Rube because all of their faces were completely blank. Too blank.

"I want to know what's going on here! Why the fuck are all of you looking at me like that!"

Daisy cleared her throat quietly and smoothed her hair. She was nervous. Ha, that actress bullshit wouldn't save her now. If only she could read them the way she could Rube, deep in their minds. But none of them were thinking loud enough for her to pick up on anything. _Son of a bitch…_

"Well someone say something!" Rosslyn shouted and pounded a fist into the table, making everyone's plates shake a bit.

"I think you need to get out of here, Rosslyn, if that's your real name." Roxy answered and turned her head to face the other reaper.

Rosslyn's eyes widened a little and her jaw dropped a bit, "what?"

"You heard me. We don't want any of that weird shit here. So why don't you go on home now." Roxy answered again and narrowed her dark eyes.

"The hell are you talking about?" Rosslyn asked, the panic starting to sound in her voice as she looked at mason and George who averted their gaze.

"We know, Rosslyn." Daisy answered that one, and with her quiet voice Rosslyn's world seemed to shatter.

"You…know…what?" she asked slowly of the blonde and fought the urge to stand up and get into her face.

"There's no need to get upset. God knows we don't want you upset." Daisy said in an even voice, as though she were trying to keep the other girl calm.

"No, I want to know what it is you think you know."

Rube's dark eyes were locked on Daisy and even Rosslyn could tell he was daring her to say something. But something deep down in Ros' chest ached and she just knew that they knew the truth. Although to them it wouldn't seem like anything truthful, and that had to be the reason for the weirdness as of late.

"Daisy told us what you do so don't try and pretend that you're little miss normal." Roxy challenged, causing Rosslyn's gaze to dart to the blonde whom she thought was something of a friend.

"What?" she asked.

"I…saw you a while ago. With a soul. You popped it out of the body and it turned into a monster." Daisy explained and Rosslyn's chest tightened.

Rube held up a hand, "I think that's enough for now."

Rosslyn cut him off, "oh? Is that what you saw?"

Daisy nodded and Roxy cut in, "and she told us. Now why don't you get your…whatever the hell you are ass out of here and leave us alone before you turn _us_ into something."

"Why…why didn't you ask me. Do you all know about this?" Rosslyn asked, her voice wavering and tears gathered in her eyes.

They all nodded and Rube just sat there with his eyes on the table top. Rosslyn looked from reaper to reaper hoping someone would come out and say it was just a joke, but noting happened. Even Mason, who had been close with her for as long as he'd been in the States, ignored her and kept his gaze down. They really believed she did something.

"You don't understand, I didn't do anything…"

Roxy cut her off this time, "No, YOU don't understand. Whatever the fuck you did tot hat poor soul? We don't want it here. And apparently you've got our boss here all under your spell because he's just about falling all over you."

"Let me explain…"

"No. Get out. I thought there was some kind of problem when you came in all beat up. Now, come to find out, it's just you taking souls and hurting them. The fuck is your problem? Just what the hell are you? Some kind of demon or something?"

Tears started rolling down Rosslyn's cheeks and she shook her head, "no, I'm not a demon. Please, just listen to me…"

Roxy stood and aimed her gun at the girl, "Out. Or I'll make sure you don't reap another soul again."

"Roxy!" Rube shouted and Rosslyn stood, backing away from Roxy's gun. She knew it wouldn't do anything but cause a mess, but something scared the hell out of her and she turned to run, shoving open the doors and hauled ass to anywhere but there.

Rube stood up and shoved both George and Mason to the ground. Sure, he knew that eventually they'd find out what exactly it was that she did, but not like that. He couldn't say anything, he'd promised her he wouldn't until she was ready, but anger burned in him at the sight of her fleeing them. Nay, fleeing _him._

"All of you need to shut the fuck up, right now." Rube was speaking in an even but "I'm so about to explode and kill you all again" tone.

Roxy sat as he moved to the end of the table and pointed at her, "NEVER have I seen a reaper act that way. If you were so fucking worried about what she was doing, why didn't you ask her?"

Roxy glared up at him, "you should have told us she was soul-sucking...whatever she is!"

Rube eyes seemed to darken a few shades until they looked black with dark red blazing behind them, "I swore to her that I wouldn't say _anything_ until she was ready to tell you all. I swore to her as a friend…and more, out of respect. I thought we all respected each other here, but I was wrong. She's no different than any of you except she has a different mission. Now I'll be lucky to get her to come back at all. Thanks…really, all of you. You might have just cost me the most important thing in my life. Now go fuck yourselves." He glared down at Roxy and left.

The reapers sat in silence for a moment after Rube left and just stared. No one said a word, but their thoughts screamed volumes. Roxy sat and put the gun away, looking off into the wall. Mason and George stared at the table as they had been and Daisy, who was white as a sheet, stirred her coffee absently.

"Fucking good job, Roxy, doing that." Mason said, looking over at her.

Roxy turned, "It's not my fault he's pissed off. I was just doing what you were all thinking. You didn't want that crazy bitch near you!"

"But you shouldn't have done it like that…" Daisy interrupted, looking at the cop.

"Shut up, if it weren't for you we'd never have been in the situation. You come in here yelling about how she's a demon or something and now look! Rube's all pissed off at me!"

Daisy glared, "you are such a bitch. I didn't do a damn thing but tell you what I saw. Thanks, Mason, for making this day so much better, you asshole."

Mason's mouth opened, "what? Me? I didn't fucking do anything! Johnny Law here couldn't stand to not wave her fancy gun about and now she's mad that she finally got bitched at!"

"Fuck you, Mason."

"Hey, he didn't do anything. You're the one who got all up in her face and was yelling at her like she was some kind of beast or something!" George yelled.

"Shut the fuck up, Toilet Seat, you always come to rescue him. Mind your own damn business!" Roxy yelled back.

George's eyes narrowed and she tossed some money on the table, walking out before she really said something she'd regret. Roxy left too, followed by Mason. Daisy though, just stared on. What had she done? If she hadn't said anything to them…this wouldn't have happened. She…might have actually really hurt that girl.

ROPOV

I ran until I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't tell you where I ended up, or even if I cared. I could have been anywhere, but it didn't phase me. When I couldn't run anymore I just stopped and sat. Thankfully there was grass and no one to tell em to move so I stayed there.

I cried so hard. For the first time in twenty years I felt as though I was at home and it was ripped out from under me. What had I done? Was this thing with Rube causing me to have some kind of rash karmic repercussions in which I'd just be trampled on by the people who had made me feel welcome? What was I? Was I really the monster they saw? Did they really see me that way?

Tears fell from my eyes and I made no move to stop them. I was out of breath and if I could die again I might have right then. There was no feeling in me except for the pain in my heart. I'd have to go back to Boston and I could never see any of them again. And Rube…god, what would I do without him now? Surely I'd fade back into the darkness and some poor reaper would get my twisted soul to take…it wasn't worth it.

"Rosslyn!" I heard my name in the familiar Brooklyn accent. I couldn't move though. I couldn't turn to face him.

"Damn it, woman, you scared me half to death." And then he stopped. I think he saw me.

I must have rivaled how I looked that first night sans the blood and gore. I was in so much pain and tears were robbing me of any ability to breathe or talk. So he sat down and pulled me close, running his fingers through my hair and whispering incoherent words of encouragement until I could finally muster enough voice and breath at the same time to talk.

"They think I'm a monster…" was all I said.

"They don't know what it is you do."

I shook my head, "They'll never trust me now…I'll never fit in with them."

Rube hugged me closer and I felt him kiss my forehead. That always calmed me and I felt my heart rate slow a little, "They're just not sure what to think. And I'm sure Daisy didn't exactly help things with her probably over dramatic interpretation of what happened." Rube answered and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I can't face them. I mean…she pointed a gun at me in a public place. People must think I'm some kind of criminal."

"No…don't worry about it. If you want to you can just stay at the apartment and avoid them. If it bothers you so much…just don't get close to them."

Something about that struck a nerve. I knew he was trying to be gentle and offer me a choice, but something about that screamed "I'm ashamed of what happened because I'm involved with you." It hurt. Again I felt tears gathering.

"So…you want me to avoid them so I don't cause that kind of reaction again?" I asked.

"If it bothers you…yes."

I shook my head and stood up, "No…I…I need some time alone."

He got up as well and opened his arms in a very "zookeeper looking out at a dangerous bear during mating season" way. I shook my head and started walking again. I had to get away. I had to just…not be there.

_They…think I'm hurting those souls…._


	17. Torn In Darkness

Chapter 16: Torn In Darkness

ROPOV

"_Just what the hell are you, anyway?" she asked as she looked at me in post mortem horror._

_I knew what I had to look like…covered in blood, no doubt tears rolling down my face, everything a mess from the physical, mental, emotional, etc. stress that went along with my job. I couldn't answer her. Hell if I knew what I was. Up until very recently I had just been an empty shell. Something hurt. Something hurt a lot, but I couldn't tell what it was._

"_Fight it, Rosslyn, don't let her darkness consume you. Just tell her everything is all right and go on. It's not your place to justify who you are to anyone." I heard my Master's voice within me, but I just couldn't do it._

"_I…your lights. Go." I told the woman in a tone that I knew was hollow and empty. _

_The woman's soul looked from me to the swirling lights in the form of a man on a white horse. I think whatever it was that was hurting me ached for that. No, not the man on the white horse, but Lights. I wanted to be saved, not damned to an eternity watching souls pass on while I was still hanging around. _

"_You must focus. She is gone. Return now and we will assist you. Do not let her darkness you, Rosslyn, and it will if you let it. Come back now." My Master's voice rang into my ears, but I couldn't hear it. I was o tired and all I wanted to do was sit down and just…I had no clue. What does one do when you're feeling your life sliding away? Cry? Sleep?_

"_COME BACK NOW." I had no other choice but to go back to the sanctuary. Thankfully I did listen because I felt better; almost as if the pain melted away once they started chanting to help cleanse my soul while I was still too inexperienced to do it myself._

"_If you allow things to hurt you, they will. You know this. Why do you let this death harm you the way you do? Do you not see that you'll just end up where you were before you came to us? The way you were when you were alive? Do you want that?" he asked, looking down at me._

_I shook my head no and closed my eyes. I just wanted to get away. I just wanted to feel normal for the first time since…I was so young. I just wanted peace in me, but something wasn't giving it to me._

"_There is a darkness in you, Rosslyn, that I fear will eat at you. If you wander too far it will consume you. You must find an anchor or perish at your own hand…." He said to me, and I wondered what exactly it was that I was supposed to anchor myself to._

The apartment was dark. I rested on the bed still fully clothed and hadn't even bothered to turn on any lights since the sun had gone down. I was hurting again, but this time it was far more deep seeded and poignant. My heart hurt, nay, my soul hurt. Seeing them, the Group, Rube's merry band of reapers, my friends look at me like I was little more than an animal waiting to turn them into a monster. God, what had I done? Was this punishment?

If I had any inclination to what lies beyond those Lights we lead our reaps to I might have been inclined to pray for…something. I thought I had done everything right. I had my anchor, which was Rube, and I had just…let all the death go. There was no reason in hell for this to be happening.

"_Someone help me…this isn't right! Where am I?" I called when I came to and found myself on the cold granite of what looked I assumed to be a manor house._

"_Quiet yourself, my dear, you are safe now." I heard a voice that was like snow falling on a quiet meadow._

"_Wh-what happened? Where am I?" I asked and tried to open my eyes but only saw a blinding white light._

"_Safe now. Rest until we arrive…you'll need it while you can get it."_

"_Arrive where?" I asked and tried to open my eyes again, but cowered into the fetal position._

"_Do not worry yourself about it now, my dear, just rest. The darkness in you is fading; have no fear."_

"_Dark? Darkness? In me?"_

"_Rest, child."_

I was cold. The windows were open but I had no recollection of opening them since I'd come home. No, this wasn't my home. My home was in an apartment with the man I was in love with. This was where I came to just be and wait until this passed. But how could it pass? I need to have my anchor with me, and my heart and soul ached without him there. _Rube…_

I felt my mind reach for his as it had done so many times, but I felt nothing. Instantly my heart wrenched and I almost slid off the bed as tears started rolling down my face. Did he think I was a monster too? No, he knew what my job was since he met me; there was no reason for him to think like that unless…could Roxy and the rest made him think otherwise?

_Ros?_ I felt the familiar butterfly wings inside my mind and I felt myself relax and the vice grip in my chest weakened a bit. He had heard me, thank whatever deity. I often wondered why it was that he was able to hear me…maybe it was because we knew each other so well, or maybe it was because we'd been so close…I couldn't tell you, but his voice was a welcome thing.

_I need you._ I could feel that darkness that all of my kind possesses bubbling up in me. This time it was different, though; this time I felt like I was slipping. I was out of control and I hate that feeling. I needed help. I needed an anchor.

_Where are you?_ I heard him ask me and I lifted my head up to see. Sure, it seemed like my apartment. No, the apartment he'd gotten for me to stay in, but in this state I could have thought a piece of cheese was the apartment.

_Come find me. I think I'm in the apartment you got me, but…you know how things are. _I didn't know if he _could_ find me. I mean, I knew he was good, but if I really was in a ditch somewhere I highly doubt he'd be able to come and rescue me. Heh, come and rescue me. That's what he's always done. If I needed him he'd come to me and he'd save me from whatever ill was plaguing me at the time. In that, there was more then just the fact that he was my anchor and my friend in this form of life to Rube. He had become so much more in such a short time. And no, I'm not talking about just since I'd come to visit. "Short time" in respect to a reaper could mean a year or any number of years. I'd say in the last twenty or so this man had come to mean more to me than anything I could have ever known.

_You okay? Are you hurt?_ He asked in such a concerned father way. It was endearing to know he valued me as much as a family member, but on the other side of it I knew he valued me as…something else.

_Not physically, no. _I'm pretty sure I was lying at that one. I think at some point during my walk back or whenever during the day I fell and hurt my leg…or ankle…something. Something did hurt pretty bad, but it was all inconsequential to the pain erupting out of my chest at the current moment.

_I'll be there in a minute._ He sounded so sure and so…calm. I was anything but calm. That was what I admired most about him; even in the most stressful of situations where he may be angrier than a fucking bull in heat locked in a pen he was always rational and knew exactly what to do. I couldn't count the times anymore that I'd shown up at his apartment bleeding from some random wound and losing a fair amount of blood and he'd just show me in and take care of things. That's the way Rube has always been: my anchor, my friend, my knight in shining armor and now…Christ, just what was he now exactly?

A knock sounded at the door. Was it locked? Did I shut it? Damn. I tried lifting my head to look up. If it was Rube he'd find a way in and if it was anyone else they could fuck off. I felt heavy and I just couldn't conjure up enough strength to move, but that was the way of it. Stay in one place until you just rot away.

"Ros?" I heard his voice and suddenly the pain in me lessened a bit.

"In here." I called back toward the doorframe of the room and then I saw his silhouette leaning against the wall as he looked at me.

I think, in all honesty, that this was the first time he'd seen me like this that wasn't wound-inflicted. I know I probably looked the same, but just seemed a little less peppy. Sadly, I wish that was all it was. I was there, just lying there and letting that darkness eat at me. I couldn't fight it anymore and that blow from Roxy and the rest of the group just killed what little hope I had left in me. Yes, this was my home, but if I wasn't welcome then why bother staying around.

"Is it bad this time?" Rube asked and sat down beside me. His weight was comforting to me and I opened my eyes to look up at him. He was still the same and never would I have to worry about that changing. He was my friend, my best friend, and could I ever daresay…my lover, perhaps?

"Worse than it's been in years. Roxy really pulled a number on me." I answered and he kicked off his shoes and laid down beside me.

In a moment I was wrapped up in his arms, my head resting comfortably on his shoulder and one of my arms draped oh-so casually across his chest. It was perfection as it had always been, but I was completely numb. But better numb than in pain.

"I'll talk to her about it."

I shook my head, "no. It's not your fight. You can't protect me from this one. I should have come clean with them from the beginning, but I was too focused on us and I never…talked to them. It's my own fault, but I never thought they'd come after me like…that, you know?"

He ran his fingers through my hair, "That which we bring upon ourselves is the worst, but it can only be resolved by taking care of it ourselves."

"Nice. Yours?" I asked and looked up at him.

"Always. Now, what was it you needed me for, again?" He asked and pulled me closer.

His warmth was always so good to me. Never in all my years of knowing him had he ever been cold to me. Not physically or emotionally. He was always warm and wrapped me up in it just long enough to take away whatever it was that was plaguing me.

"Come set me straight. I think I'm sliding, Rube, and I need someone here to tell me I'm not." Tears were in my eyes and my voice was thick.

"What'll me telling you you're not do? Will it stop the fact that you're losing your grip on things? Will it make you any better?"

"So philosophical. Just having you here is enough to make things better for me."

"Because I'm your anchor?"

"Because you're my friend."

He smiled down at me and I felt the brush of his lips against my forehead. It was the paternal thing again and I must say that I was slightly sad at it. I didn't want to be treated like a daughter. Hell, I didn't wan to be treated like a friend. Was that what this was about? I mean, everyone thinking I'm some kind of monster did suck pretty badly, but the thought of losing him to it was unbearable.

"Am I just a friend, Rosslyn?" he asked, tilting my chin up to look into his eyes in that grimy darkness.

We must have stared at each other for five minutes or more just like that. I couldn't look away and he wasn't going to let me. What was I supposed to say to that? What if I gave him the answer he didn't want to hear? He'd leave and I'd be left to spiral slowly downward into some kind of chasm that I'd probably drown in. But what if I just didn't answer at all? He'd leave and…well, rinse and repeat thusly.

"Answer me." It was a soft order. Kind of like a stop sign: it was there to give a command in what seemed to be nice way.

"I don't want to tell you something you don't want to hear."

"Just answer the question."

"You're not just a friend, Rube."

"What am I then? Family to you? Closest friend in the world? What?"

"More." It was a defiant answer. Maybe he'd guess it.

"What then?"

No such luck, "something more."

"You're breaking in two. I see it in your eyes."

"I don't want to say something that would make me look like an ass."

He cocked an eyebrow and looked down at me with a surprised look on his face, "since when have I ever thought you to be an ass?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Not the point. What am I to you? Tell me or I'm leaving."

I sat up. It was a feat because I lacked the strength to do anything. I looked him full in the face and he looked back. He wasn't bluffing.

"You know what you are to me, Rube. I don't know what we're calling it. Boyfriend? Lover? Significant other? What do you want me to call it?"

He pulled me close and held me to his chest, hand running over my back. I was starting to not be able to take it anymore. I was being ripped apart and this wasn't helping at all. My vision swam and I saw black tinting the outer edge of my range of sight. I was hurting again and I was angry. Why wasn't he fixing this the way he always did? Wasn't there supposed to be some sitting, slight cuddling and murmuring of incoherent sweet-nothings meant to heal my breaking heart?

"Come see me in the morning." He said carefully and slid off the bed. I was confused.

"Wait. What?" I asked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

"When you can decide what it is you're doing here and what…this is between us come and see me. It shouldn't take long, but I don't want you to have to go out tonight like this."

I blinked and I think I literally heard my heart shatter. Like, in a million pieces just shatter. The fuck was he thinking and just what the hell was going on here? Didn't he love me? Didn't…weren't…how was this happening?

"I don't understand." I stammered and he tilted my chin up and kissed me. It was a sweet, gentle kiss filled with the promise of better things to come.

"In the morning?" I asked as he pulled away from me.

"If that's what you want. But I'm warning you now: bring your things because if you come, you're not leaving."

I nodded and he leaned down to kiss me again.

"The morning, then." He whispered.

"The morning."


	18. Love and Curiosity

Chapter 17: Love and Curiosity

Rube POV

I don't think I slept at all the whole night. I tossed, turned, tried reading a book and I'm pretty sure I drained a bottle of brandy before I finally drifted off. It had to have been close to five or so when sleep finally won the battle, but I think I only napped for a good ten minutes or so before I was awake again. I couldn't believe that I had done that. Since when did I give ultimatums? Okay, ultimatums that didn't end with something like "or you'll endure a wrath you've only read about in the bible"…but that's more of a threat. Even when I told her to think about it and come here to tell me what she felt I couldn't believe it.

What did that say about me? I mean, I'm making her decide how things go. I mean, the way things progress from here on out is her decision. How do _I_ feel about her? Should I ask myself that first rather than making her come here and tell me what she feels? I feel like an ass. I feel like a pompous, arrogant ass. What right do I have when I'm unsure of how I feel? _How do I feel?_

I know I care about her and I do believe that she and I could be meant to be together. As long as I've known her I've felt something, but…and we did kind of exchange an "I love you" a few weeks back. She's been staying with me since that night. Was I wrong to say it? _Or am I just scared that if she doesn't say it first I'll look like the asshole? Why do I do that? I care for her so much and I'm not losing her again. I won't. Good god, I do love her._

If I had another bottle of brandy I would have drank it right there. Who cares that it was already starting to get a little light outside and I'd be hitting the bottle so soon? Who would know? It's not as if I get 'piss drunk' as Mason would say. No, it wouldn't matter. But alas, I didn't have anything harder than coffee in the cabinets. It would have to do for now.

As I sat at the table, sipping my caffeine enriched syrup-of-the-gods, contemplating the universe and my place in it my mind began to wander as it often did when things were a little more stressful than I normally like. Would she come this morning? Of course she would. Even if she didn't care for me like that; she'd come just out of respect. That was what drew me to her in the first place. She had such an old world elegance to her it just drew me in. I loved everything about her since the moment we actually sat down and had a real conversation. She had respect for me and how I liked things more than I think anyone ever has. She never questioned anything I asked of her or told her to do unless it was jokingly.

A knock sounded lightly at the door; almost as if it was afraid. My heart rate exploded and I sat for a moment just staring and wondering if I really should get up and answer it. I could just imagine it being George coming in on one of her little rants about death or something and completely throwing off the whole of my morning. So help me god, if it was one of them I'd kill them again and make sure they'd stay dead.

I got up slowly and made it to the door. Out of some kind of foreign emotion, probably fear or anxiety, I looked through the peep hole to see Rosslyn biting at her lip and standing there waiting for me. _She came. Oh god, she came._ Why was I so worried about this? I never worried about shit like this. Never. It was just something I didn't do, but she rattled me. This had me in a fit like I'd never been in before.

I pulled open the door and tried to keep a calm face. Those brilliant hazel eyes lifted to gaze up at me and had I the ability at the time I would have picked her up and carried her off with me without any regard for what we were leaving behind. Sadly, I couldn't and all we could do was stare at each other for a good fifteen seconds or so. She was beautiful: a black turtleneck hugged her torso and a pair of dark denim jeans accentuated the smallness of her waist. I smiled as I looked down though. She was a good six inches or so shorter than me and in attempt to make herself taller she walked around in those spiked stiletto heels. As scared out of my fucking mind as I was, she was hot.

"You came." I managed to get out as I stood aside in the doorway to let her in.

It wasn't until she went in; shrugged off the trench coat and pulled off her scarf did she turn around to look at me. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to say anything. Her eyes were slightly wider than normal and they were shining brightly up at me. Were those tears in her eyes? Please, don't tell me she was about to cry because of me. I couldn't handle that. I wanted to say something, nay, I wanted _her_ to say something. Just staring at her wondering what the fuck was going to happen was killing me…again.

"So…you're here." I murmured and she closed the small distance between us and kissed me.

I'd never been kissed by a woman. Well, in that sense anyway. She basically attacked me for lack of a better word. We kissed for a long time, my hands tangling in her hair and her arms wrapped around my shoulders. It was warm and sweet, yet heated and filled with something I didn't quite recognize.

When we finally broke apart she looked up at me, wide eyed and breathless. As her chest heaved for air I couldn't help but take her chin in my hands and brush a soft kiss over her lips. I wanted so much to never let her go.

"So, I'm here." She whispered afterward and I looked down in her eyes.

I ran a hand through her wealth of curls and just kept looking down at her. What more could I say? So far away seemed that hard-ass from the night before. I couldn't picture myself commanding her to do anything, least of all decide in a moment what exactly our standing was. Wasn't that our decision to make? It was wrong of me to put it on her because I was too much of a chicken shit to think about it myself and just go along with whatever she decided.

"I'm sorry." I said to her in a soft voice and I saw one of her eyebrows cock in confusion. Apparently, I'd thrown her off of whatever script she had going in her head.

"Pardon?"

"I said I'm sorry. It was wrong for me to make you decide on that. Whatever our relationship is…we should figure it out ourselves. I was just in a panic that you'd say something different."

"You? Panic?" she was indeed surprised.

"Yes, me panic."

She smiled and took my hand, leading us to sit on the couch together. We sat in silence for a good while, her hand in mine and me looking at her. She was so beautiful. It was so sad that no man had the chance to have her as his own, but in some respects it made me happy to know that I'd be the first if given the opportunity.

"So what is this then?" she asked and turned her face to me, strands of curls falling into her face.

I smoothed them away and pulled her to me. I held her close and just savored the thought of having her in my arms. The last few days had been hard on her and I hadn't helped at all. I wasn't at all trained in the ways she was but I could feel her soul darkening and crying out for something to hold on to. Would this be enough to bring her out of things, because if it didn't then I'd lose her. _Never._

"What do you want it to be?" I asked and looked down at her.

"That's what you asked me last night."

"No, what do you _want_?"

She shrugged and I felt my heart twinge a little, "Dating? Lovers? Romantically involved? They all mean the same thing."

I caught her chin and tilted it up so I could meet her eyes. I stared long into those depths before I finally took a breath and spoke up for everything that had been eating at me for the last twenty-someodd years, "I love you, Rosslyn. I love you with all my heart."

Time stopped. Literally, it just stopped. We looked at each other for what could have been seconds or hours and I swear I could see every tear that gathered in those perfect eyes come up one at a time. I felt her pain ease away into something else, as it wasn't pressed up against me like a wall anymore. I swept them away with my fingers as they fell, holding her to me.

It had to have been a few minutes before she could speak and when she did it was enough to make me tear up as well, "I love you too. I love you more than anything in the world." She whispered in a voice thick with tears.

OPOV

William Slid into his computer chair and flicked it on. It was still really early and he had more than enough time before work to get things done and get ready, but this was eating at him. That thing Roxy said about the leg warmers had really muddled his brain. God knows, as gorgeous as she was, there was no way she had been a teenager in the eighties. If he had to peg her age he'd have her at about twenty five, and even there was no way that was possible. Was she telling the truth or was she some crazy woman? No, she was a cop. What could it be?

He pulled up Google on his computer and checked his email, mind still wandering on about Roxy. He really liked her, but if she was nuts there was no way that he'd stick around. On a whim he looked at the search bar and typed in _Roxy Harvey_.

It took a moment but a page listing of matches popped up. He scrolled through and found random people sharing one of the names or the other until he came to a newspaper article with a match, circa 1982. He took a drink of his coffee and clicked on it, eyes widening as he read.

_Promising Performer's Life Cut Short By Accident  
Tuesday, March 13, 1982 the body of twenty-five year old Roxy Harvey was found dead in her apartment building by friends and her landlord. Harvey was an aspiring dancer and taught classes at the YMCA weekly. When she failed to come in for a class her friend Todd Bennett called her apartment to find out if she was sick or needed any help. No answer caused him alarm and he went to investigate finding her dead upon the scene. The cause of death has been matched to choking on a piece of ice from the drink beside her bed. Foul play or murder is not suspected. Funeral services are to be held March 16, 1982 at Burner Gardens Memorial at two pm._

William stopped and stared at the article. Beside it was a picture and the likeness was spot on of the woman he'd been seeing for the last month only with the stereotypical eighties hair and dress in leotard. His mouth fell open at the sight and he looked to the phone and considered calling her. There was no way she could be dead. It must have been a mistake or a family member because she was alive. He'd seen her just two nights before living, breathing and certainly not choked to death. How was it possible?

He leaned back and stared at the computer screen. He'd be late for work but this was so fucked up. How in the hell did that happen? They looked so much alike. Maybe it really was a fluke. Or maybe he was the crazy one. It bothered him and as he looked on he clicked randomly on the website and came upon a very morbid looking link.

There were all kinds of things on death there from legends to beliefs from all over the world. Why on earth would they put that on a newspaper article page? God that annoyed him. But as it was he read on anyway, stopping only as he came upon a part about ghosts and the believed afterlife.

RPOV

I kissed Rosslyn softly after her admission and held her to me. So she did love me as much as I loved her. How long in the making was all this? Was it just the last few years or could it have been as long as the last two decades as it had been for me? It was so relieving and exciting at the same time as I held her there in my arms and she cried. I don't know whys he was crying and I hoped it was joyous because tears rolled down my face to out of happiness.

"So, what does that make us then?" she finally asked me, her head on my shoulder.

"Lovers? Soul mates? Any of the above works for me." I answered and kissed the top of her head.

"I like the sound of that. But for the rest let's just go with 'dating', hm?"

I nodded and she leaned her face up to mine and I kissed her again. I loved the feeling of her in my arms. Lucy's kiss was never at all like this. Hers was more of a pinched, labored kiss while Rosslyn's was fluid and natural just as she was. It was beautiful in every sense of the word and I held it for as long as we could last.

As much as I hated it, I had to leave her to give out assignments. She slept on my bed as I closed my door and headed to Der Waffle Haus with a renewed feeling of the world. I felt reborn into a world of light and happiness that was only matched by the brilliance of the sun that morning. It would definitely be a good day.


	19. Our Universe

Chapter 18: Our Universe

OPOV

It had been a nice night out. There had been dinner, some very bad dancing, a walk through the park and even a bit of PDA on a crowded street. All in all, or so it seemed to the two of them, it had been a good date. Yes, a real 100 date. And as they drove up into the driveway of the house they closed the date just as every good date since the dawn of relationships had been closed: the goodnight kiss. Well, okay it was a little more of making out in the car before they went up to go _in_ the house, but even so…it was really romantic.

Mason had gone all out just as he'd done for Valentine's Day sans only the guitar playing but George had a sneaking suspicion that might come later. The house was dark which meant Daisy was off doing something or was already asleep. That was a blessing beyond recognition. This prompted Mason to, as George fumbled with the key because Daisy had taken the good one, spin the blonde girl around and catch her chin in one of his hands and look down into her eyes. He loved her eyes. He absolutely loved to just look down into her soul and smile as she would inevitably blush and try to lightly push him off. There was a never a fight between the two of them when it came to things like that and that was how he liked it.

"I love your eyes, Georgie-girl." Mason murmured and there was that inevitable blush though this time she made no move to push him away.

The edges of George's mouth twitched into a smile and she looked up at Mason. Things had changed so fast in the last few days. Ever since that reap at that rich guy's place they had been even more inseparable than normal and this had given them the opportunity to get even closer than they were before. Not to mention the fact that ever since he'd opened that floodgate by kissing her it became a regular occurrence between the two of them.

Again Mason kissed her, pushing her thin frame against the door. George kissed him back, her hands coming up to frame his face. They stood there for a while and really did end the date as it was meant to be ended. As it turns out, the ending left both of them breathless and George secretly thanked Mason's eagerness of pushing her against the door so that she'd have something to lean against.

"So what now?" George asked and opened the door, stumbling in with Mason on her heels.

MPOV

God, she looked bloody fantastic tonight. All of that wealth of blonde hair just falling in her face as it often did; it drove me fucking nuts. Tonight had been bloody amazing if I do say so myself. There was dinner at Utopia: one of the finest lounge/cafés in town, dancing at this club in town(even though she nor I are very good at the whole…dancing thing), and then a walk through the park. That one I was especially proud of. Just seeing the moonlight reflect in her eyes and light up her face made me just want to hold her and not let go.

Now we were home again. What does one do when one courts his roommate? There's no way to just…go and be because not only was I her roommate, I was her _room_mate. Thankfully nothing awkward had gone on because I could just bloody picture that. But no, what were we supposed to do now? The date had been fantastic but…would she really want to spend any more time now that it was over?

"So, em, what do we do now?" I asked. Well, if I didn't know she might, right?

She shrugged, a lazy movement of her shoulders as she plopped down onto the couch and picked up the remote. I took the spot beside her and a smile crossed my face as she rested her head on my shoulder and let one hand wrap around my waist. God, she was amazing. How in the fuck did I manage to get this lucky, yeah?

"We could sit here for a while or hunt down some kind of dessert from the kitchen." George answered.

There it was. George loved chocolate and if I remember right there was a nice tub of chocolate ice cream in the freezer. That was the good thing about Daisy, even though she was dead she refused to eat anything that might "spoil such a great girlish figure". So the sweets in the house were safe. I lifted my date up and slid out from underneath her before heading into the direction of the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with two bowls piled high with the confection. George's eyes lit up and I mentally patted myself on the back: score one for the Masonator. It did make me smile how she accepted the bowl and as I sat she leaned in and kissed my cheek. That right there was enough for me.

As we ate I silently contemplated my options as to how to handle the rest of the night. Something had been on my mind recently and I wanted to bring it up, but with little opportunity I wanted to get it in now before I lost my chance.

"So, Georgie, we're having a good time together, yeah?" I asked. It was the best opener I could come up with.

Those brown eyes turned and locked into mine and she smiled, "yeah, why?"

"I was just making sure, you know, paranoia."

She studied the depths of her Double Chocolate Chunk for a while, biting at her lower lip and I about lost it. That face was enough to make me melt. I know, I know, not typical of Mason to get all mushy, but something had changed in me the last few days or so. I couldn't tell you what was going on. Rube was in the best mood I'd seen him considering the little episode with Rosslyn and Roxy; it was like he'd forgotten all about it and his mood was rubbing off on me. I was…well to quote George "all aflutter." Here comes out the mushy bit in me. I have a soft spot for her and it was growing to massive proportions.

"Did you date a lot when you were alive?" she asked and I about dropped the bowl out of surprise.

"What?"

"Did you date a lot when you were alive? You know, boyfriend-girlfriend."

"I…no, not really."

George cocked an eyebrow and she set down the finished bowl, "okay, did you have sex a lot when you were alive?" she asked and I swear to God I almost shit my pants.

"Did I...have…sex?" I stumbled on the words, still in shock.

She nodded. Holy Christ, she was serious. What do I answer? Do I tell her no and she'd know I was lying or do I tell her the truth and probably have her be disgusted in me? I mean, I'd been dead forty years and when disease and all of that meant nothing I just went for it when I had the chance. Hell, even when I was alive I was high most of the time and didn't care about the repercussions.

"I…did." I managed to get it out and took a huge bite of what wasn't melted in my bowl which resulted in a horrible brain freeze that I tried to hide.

"Did you like your exes?"

I blinked, "I don't really remember them. I mean, most of the time I was on something when we were dating so I don't really count them as…you know, girlfriends."

She nodded and ran a hand through her hair before looking at me, "Did you love any of them?"

That one caught me off guard more than the whole conversation put together. I think if I had something in my mouth I would have spit it out right then, but all I could do was just stare open-mouthed at her and try to will some kind of answer to come out of my head. In midst of my trying to connect some synapse in my head with an answer I felt a wave of seriousness wash over me. I never really thought of any of the girls I'd had sex with as anything more than just girls I was having sex with. The thought of love never really entered my head when I was horny or anything, but deep in me I knew, or hoped, that there might be some kind of love out there for a little druggie like myself.

"No, Georgie, I didn't."

"None of them?" she cocked an eyebrow.

I shook my head and put my bowl on the table in front of us before turning and looking at her, "I didn't love a single girl that I had sex with, alright? I'm no better than that bastard Tripp, but in my defense both the girl and I were high on something when we had sex so it probably didn't matter too much to her either." I spat out, suddenly angry.

Her eyes widened and she blinked a few times, "So do you ever, you know, think about love and all that bullshit?" she asked, twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers. She was nervous.

I took a moment to think about that one then took her hands, looking her in the face, "you know what, Georgie, I do think about it. I think about it a lot. Contrary to popular belief I wouldn't mind finding a decent girl and maybe settling down and all that bullshit, but I can't now can I?"

Her face twisted into an expression I hadn't seen before. It looked sad and kind of…hurt at me, "why not?"

"Hello? Dead, remember? No relationships with the living, hm, Georgie?"

"Doesn't mean you can't fall in love. I mean, even though you're dead you could still find someone…hell, I could have loved Tripp had he not fucked me over big time. Maybe. Possibly. Okay, probably not."

"He wasn't good enough for you, love, both you and I know it. He didn't deserve the time you gave him and what did he do with it when he got it? He fucked it up." I looked over at her and squeezed one of her hands a little. She smiled and leaned over on me as she had before.

We just kind of sat there in silence for a while with her leaning on my shoulder in that way she does. I smoothed her hair and rested my chin on the top of her head while staring out at the floor. She didn't move once and I wrapped an arm around her to pull her close. I liked having her close.

"So…how did that with Tripp end up anyway? I mean, I know what happened but you never told me anything other then you two just did it and he left."

George shrugged again and looked up at me. I couldn't tell if she wanted me to leave it alone or if she was going to answer until she bit at her lip and her gaze lowered to look away from me, "It wasn't what I thought my first time was going to be, you know? I mean, I never read those crappy romance novels so I don't think I had an unrealistic idea, but for God's sake I thought it would be better than _that_."

_Oh my god he was pathetic. That's fucking hilarious._ I put a hand on her arm in what I hoped looked like sympathy to mask the smile that was trying to come out on my face, "maybe it was just him, you know?"

"Does it get better?"

I had no fucking idea what to say to that. I mean, it's sex. Yes, there's really good sex and there's really bad sex but unless you're connected to the person in some way it's just…sex, that's all it is. There's no good or bad about it, trust me, it's just there.

"It satisfies a need, Georgie-girl, s'all I can say. I can't say it's been a basket of fucking rainbows for me either."

"Well needing sucks then." She mused.

"That it does, indeed."

GPOV

We had gone up to the room after a while. I couldn't take just sitting down there anymore. After everything with the date and how great it was all I wanted to do was lie around and talk like we had every other night. Damn, it was a good feeling to want to be courted and dated rather than just fucked and left. Not that I pegged Mason for that kind of thing, but men in general had pissed me off for a long time.

He was an amazing guy; I had to give him that. We were good together and I was really comfortable and happy with him. I loved kissing him. No, it wasn't the act of getting just some form of affection from any guy, it was Mason. I loved kissing him and being with him. Was that weird? I mean, we were dating and all, but I never thought of us as anything physical. Well, no that's actually a lie.

One night not too long ago I remember waking up from a really weird dream. Well okay, it wasn't a weird dream per say, but it was weird for me to be having it. All I remember was it involved hands. Specifically Mason's hands. Don't ask me how I know they were his, but I knew and they were there…doing things. I remember them being warm and soft, calloused in the right places going over my stomach and my back. I remember a voice, that soft British lilt that I'd become so fond of, calling to me and saying things that if I were to repeat them I'd be a nice stately shade of tomato right about now. I remember waking up and seeing him lying next to me and I half hoped that it hadn't been a dream. On some level I wanted to feel his hands on me…_whoa, whoa, whoa._

I was blushing as we were lying in bed. I could feel my cheeks actually turning color and I saw Mason smile as he ran a gentle finger across my cheekbone, "what's the matter, love?"

"Just thinking."

He smiled and I felt his lips brush over my forehead. God, that was endearing. I loved it when he'd do small things like that. It was hard to believe that Mason, ever the drunk/high slob, was capable of making my heart flutter in ways that I'd never felt before.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower, yeah?" he asked and slid out of bed, grabbed some clothes and walked out of the room. I opted out of the shower. I'd taken one before we left and I didn't feel like having to dry my hair again. I pulled on a t-shirt that was probably his. It was big enough; it hung down to my thighs.

After I changed I laid back down on the bed. I wasn't tired, but felt the urge to just close my eyes and think. In my mind I was back in that dream again whether it was intentional or subconscious. I saw those nimble hands again and felt their warmth grazing over my stomach, sliding underneath the hem of the shirt I wore. I think I squirmed a bit at the thought, my face turning red. I was suddenly really hot and tossed the blankets off of me to let the cool air soothe my now burning skin.

I hadn't heard Mason come back as lost in my mind as I was. I hope I didn't look too odd, what with the blankets tossed off and my body heat skyrocketing upward. He was so quiet anymore now that he wasn't wandering around half drunk. I often wondered if his "ninja prowess" wasn't just some bullshit he came up with just to do cliché karate moves.

I felt the weight of him next to me. It was comforting knowing he was there, but I kept my eyes shut. I couldn't tell you why, but I wanted to see what he'd do if he found me asleep. Granted, before he'd just wake me up and ask to stay the night, but now I was curious.

"Aye, Georgie-love, I hate seeing you so upset over something as stupid as that wanker. That idiot had no idea what he had and he doesn't deserve to live after what he did to you. Fuck, I hope I get his Post-It later on in life. Is that horrible of me, Georgie, is it? No one fucks with you while I'm around and I shouldn't have let him do this to you because now I'm paying the price for it." I felt him run a hand down my back and goose bumps raise where his touch had been, "I know you're sleeping and can't hear me and that's alright. I suppose if you were awake this would be harder for me to say even though the wall thought it was damn good speech," I felt him lean down and brush my hair away from my face so he could whisper in my ear, "I do love you, Georgia. I love you more than I think you know. You're the best thing in the world that could have ever happened to a piss drunk little puissant like me. That bastard had such a good thing and so help me god if you let me I won't fuck it up."

That little soliloquy made my heart wrench. He…loved me? Well, he told me he loved me before and I think it was just an affirmation of that. But god, it was enough to make me just want to cry. Since when did things Mason say make me want to cry? Sure he was the sweetest guy ever and since he'd cleaned up he really was sexy, but where did all of this come from? Those words were practically torn out of him and I could feel the pain in his voice. He'd been thinking that over for a while probably.

My eyes fluttered open and he looked down at me. He was dripping wet, hair sticking up in curls and odd angles with his eyes locked on me. I could see water just streaming down his face and too his shoulders. _Oh my god, he's in a towel. Where the fuck are the clothes he got?_ I blinked and we just stared at each other for a while.

I think it had been almost a minute before I sat up and kissed him, taking in all of his dripping, warm goodness that radiated out from him. He was so warm from the water and I could smell the soap he'd used. It was so fresh and clean and mixed with the scent of him that I just rested my head on his damp shoulder and sat there for a while. One hand ran through my hair as I leaned on him, his fingers gently running over the back of my neck. I didn't want to move.

My head rested just at the crook of his neck. A few drops of water gathered there and before I realized what I was doing I licked them away, causing him to shiver a little. I smiled. _I like that reaction. I've never made anyone shiver before_

_  
_MPOV

Good Christ what was she doing? I had just bore my soul to her, well; I thought she was sleeping, but still I had just bore my soul and everything I was feeling and she was…was…doing things to me. Not that I was complaining, mind you, but this just wasn't the time. Or was it? God it did feel good though. What had she done? Kissed me? I couldn't tell because the hair on the back of my neck was still standing up and the place where she'd done whatever it was she'd done was on fire. I wanted her to do it again.

I turned my head and kissed her again now that she'd gotten my attention. The kiss was deep and heated, gentle and daresay loving. I felt her moving to let me sit full on the bed beside her and I put one hand on her waist, the other cupping her cheek. She tasted like nothing I'd ever had before and I loved it. It was everything in that kiss: the dinner, the Valentine's Day date, tonight's date, our making out, and even that little move she just pulled. I kissed her until I couldn't breathe anymore and I finally pulled away, my chest heaving and eyes slightly glazed. She too looked taken aback by it and we stared into each other's eyes as we caught out breath, my thumb running over her cheek in a steady caress.

I realized at that moment I was in a towel. Yes, I was aware of it before because in my haste to try and divulge everything to her I'd forgotten to at least put on a pair of underwear and I was dripping wet. It was something after the kiss that came to my attention though that made me really realize that I was one embarrassing moment away from sitting there in the full monty

She looked so beautiful right there what with her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks and her body leaning into mine. She was perfect as far as I was concerned and I meant to prove it to her. No longer was I going to let her be hurt for one asshole's actions. No, I would take that away and replace it with something else.

My breathing finally calmed and I pulled her to me. George was pliant enough, moving with me as I held her as close as I could and kissed her again. There was something different this time, though, in that kiss. She wasn't simply kissing me; there was a hint of something else behind it. I felt her move as she scooted backward, one of her hands moving to catch my chin and pull me with her. Where was this going?

Oh yes, things heated up quickly right then and we were fighting each other. I pushed her back into the pillows, my hands running over her sides along the seam of the shirt she was in. My shirt. God she looked better in that shirt than I ever did.

I hadn't realized until I touched her just how curvy she was. To think, when she first joined us she actually looked a little tomboyish, but now I saw the figure of a woman beneath everything she put up in front of us. She was warm and soft, her skin felt like silk. I ventured to slide my hand up underneath the hem of the shirt and brushed her stomach. I think I heard her make a noise for it too and I stopped.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

Her eyes fluttered open and there was the look I'd only pictured on her face in dreams of mine. Those brown eyes were darkened and wide, her pouty lips already swollen from my kissing her. She was fucking gorgeous.

"No, nothing. I…keep going, I like it." I she whispered and with that admission I kissed her again.

Soon enough I was leaning over her, kissing her. She ran her hands over my back and I sighed, savoring the feeling of her there. Finally there was a connection between someone and myself. Finally I had someone who meant just as much to me in my heart as they did to my body. I'd never been happier.

GPOV

This was that dream come to life. It was Mason and it wasn't. It was everything I could have ever wanted. Hell, if things with Tripp had been this good I probably would have killed myself again after he left me. But my mind was far away from thoughts of anyone other than Mason. My mind was locked on him and everything he was doing. Damn if it wasn't the best thing ever.

I felt him tilt my chin up and he kissed my neck. That was the end-all. Well, so far it was the end-all. I think I felt fire in places I didn't know I had places. How in the hell was he doing this to me? How in the hell did we end up here? Damn he looks good in a towel.

He looked down at me, one hand ghosting down and sliding up to run over my stomach beneath the thin layer of cotton. I met his gaze and he smiled, the smallest admission of a smile. That was enough.

"Georgia…" he said my real name and I felt butterflies pushing at my stomach, "Do you…we can stop…"

I shook my head and kissed him lightly, my hand running through his now half-dry hair. He kissed my forehead and I smiled, "no."

He looked down at me, searching my face to see if I was lying or something. I wasn't. I didn't want him to stop and just the fact that he said my real name and I didn't cringe, but it made me want him more was enough to make me want him to go on.

"Aye, Georgia, you're so beautiful," it was an admission, a compliment from deep down in him, "I just want to stay here in our own little world, yeah? Just you and I in our own little universe, that's all I want."

I think I felt a tug of tears as he looked down at me. I can't be sure because I kissed him again and we kissed for a long time. With a look to me and a smile he reached over and the small light beside the bed went out leaving us in total darkness.


	20. Who I Am

Chapter 19: Who I Am

OPOV

Rosslyn woke slowly; her eyes fluttering open into the dim light of the early morning. The sun still hadn't risen yet and instinctively her hands reached out to her side to wrap around Rube. He wasn't there. Heavy eyelashes lifted to see the empty space in the bed beside her and she felt her heart sink a little. _Can't he just pretend to sleep until I wake up?_

As she sat up and ran a hand through the mane of auburn curls that framed her face in a frizzy haze the lone figure sitting at the desk across the room turned to look at her. Rube's dark eyes glided over the figure that rested in his bed and a small, crooked smile passed his face as she stretched and looked over at him. She was so beautiful, so pure, and even so completely lethal he just had to smile. Only she was capable of making him lose track of what he was doing just by making a simple movement.

"Finally decide to wake up there, sleepy?" he asked and she slowly rose up her hand until her middle finger was raised in full view.

"It's not even sunrise yet, we should both still be asleep." She mused in a hazy voice and mock glared at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

A chuckle echoed through the room as Rube shook his head and turned back to the books spread out on his desk. There was a mound of paperwork, more so than normal, and that could only mean that something big was up. Rosslyn looked over at him and tossed back the white, cotton sheets to get up. It was chilly in there: the fire had burned low and it was raining out. The girl wrapped her arms around herself and made her way over t the desk.

"Busy day?" she asked and leaned down, wrapping her arms around Rube's strong, wide torso and rested her chin on his shoulder.

He smiled and turned his face to hers, "sort of. Why? Got something planned?"

A grin worked its way across those berry lips and Rube couldn't help but lean in and kiss her lightly. Ah, the first kiss of the day. It was always so warm and sweet, gentle and loving; it made him feel like a teenager again. In the back of his mind, not to mention in the pit of his stomach, he knew he wouldn't be able to give her up when it was finally time for this little visit to be over. But who was he kidding? This visit had lasted over two months already. Was Boston not in need of her…talents? Were there enough reapers of her kind there that things were covered and they daresay didn't need her there?

"No, nothing planned." She smiled and brushed her lips over his forehead, leaning her full, light weight on him, "well, maybe I do have something I'd like to do today."

He cocked an eyebrow and turned his gaze from the stack of paper to look into those hazel eyes that had him captivated for so many years, "like?"

She bit at her lip, a symbol of her nerves. Rube knew Rosslyn hated it when he asked her like that. There was obviously something in her mind that she wanted to get done and she knew that he wouldn't approve of it.

"I want to go talk to everyone today. I think I've successfully hidden here long enough to give them time to calm down. I'd like to…go and explain everything."

Rube felt his jaw drop slightly. Was she serious? Was she really going to go and…well, fuck around with them? Okay, so everyone but Roxy wasn't a threat but to just waltz in there after the scene a few weeks ago she would have to be fucking insane to try and deal with it so early. No, she needed time to sit and just…let herself work over things. That was it.

"Since when do you care about what anyone thinks of you?" Rube asked, hoping to take a (if not very small) blow to her pride.

"I don't." she was defensive instantly.

"And besides…who really, I mean really, listens to Daisy, huh? Come on; don't fuck around with this so soon." He tried to coax her and wrapped one of his larger hands around her smaller one.

"It takes a lot to convince Roxy of anything. You know that and I know that. And she seemed pretty fucking convinced that I was a threat to her, and them…and you."

Rube cocked an eyebrow, taking a long took at her. Rosslyn bit down on her lip again and averted her eyes to the floor. That definitely meant she was hiding something from him and she knew he knew it. He turned his head and lifted his free hand to turn her face to his, "what?"

"I…felt it in her when she went all…psychotic on me. She thinks I'm going to hurt them or you…and she's upset that you can't see it. She thinks I'm holding something over you that makes you…stay with me." Her voice was suddenly thick and Rube felt a deliberate shiver run over her.

He turned full in the seat and pulled the girl close to him, his arms wrapping around her tiny waist and held her there. Sadness rolled over in her and he could feel it just as he could feel everything in her when he touched her. It was a trick of the trade for her and he'd spent enough time in her presence with her reading his mind that he'd actually picked up on a few things. Or maybe she was purposely doing it, he couldn't tell. Either way he felt it in her and wanted nothing more than to shield her from what was making her so upset.

"And you think going in and trying to talk will help things?" he asked, standing and looking down into her eyes.

Rosslyn nodded, hair tumbling down over her shoulders and encasing the within the auburn curtain of it. She looked down into his dark eyes and felt as though she could stay there forever, _I really do love you._

She could feel him smile, deep down in his heart. Again, it was a trick of the trade, but she had been in his mind so many times it was second nature to feel everything he did. One of his graceful hands reached up to cup her chin and rub a thumb over her lips, _I love you too._

"I need a ride back to the other apartment…" she mused and again Rube cocked an eyebrow.

"For?"

"Clothes?"

He sighed and melodramatically rolled his eyes at her, "fine."

Rosslyn smiled and leaned up, brushing her lips over his in a gentle kiss. With a soft sigh she meant to slide out of his arms, but he held her there. Those bright eyes looked up at him and he ran a hand along the side of her face lovingly, "You're brave, you know that?"

"I know."

Der Waffle Haus was crowded that morning like it hadn't been in months. People filled every booth and table and Rube was indeed very lucky to get their signature place in the back. He suspected Kiffany's work in that, but she said it was only because the other people had left. As Rube sat he thumbed through the paper, his eyes glancing up to the door every time the jangle would sound. Roxy arrived first and since the episode with Rosslyn she had avoided really talking to Rube and that bothered him. On some level she probably thought he would do something to her. Next came Daisy, arriving in a haze of perfume and her usual inflated ego so early in the morning. George and Mason arrived last, as usual. They came in together laughing, their faces bright. Rube cocked an eyebrow as they moved to sit together.

"Morning, everyone." He greeted them in his typical stoic tone and picked up the menu, looking over it but his eyes still darted to the door every few seconds. Where was she?

"Look, can I get my Post-It and go, please?" Roxy asked, crossing her arms and looking at her boss.

"Oh come on now, Roxy, calm down. You haven't had a proper breakfast with us in days, yeah?" Mason asked, smiling over at the cop.

"Fuck you, Mason. And what happened? You get laid or something?" Roxy joked, taking a sidelong glance at her British co-reaper.

George seemed to choke on something and sat up, her head turned to look at Roxy and Mason. The brit too had a very guilty expression and Roxy cocked an eyebrow before turning back down to her menu.

"He's right, Rox, you haven't sat with us in days." Rube added, putting down the menu and taking up the paper.

It was the first real words he'd uttered to any of them since the incident a while ago. The group looked on in surprise for a while. Daisy, after a long minute or so, cleared her throat gently and went back to her menu. They sat in silence for a while, Rube determined not to look up at the door again. He concentrated on stories in the paper that he didn't care about, he went through the crossword he'd already down, and he read comics that weren't funny…all until he heard the familiar clicking of stiletto hells on the linoleum.

Five heads turned to look up: four quickly and one turned slowly to see Rosslyn standing at the edge of their table. She was dressed head to toe in blacks and dark grey. Her typical black trench coat hung to her knees and the dark grey sweater she wore made her eyes glitter like nothing else. Even the black pants that hugged her hips made her look…well, lethal. But nothing seemed wrong; there were no scars or bruises on her. She was standing normally though she did seem a little more…tense than normal.

"The fuck are you doing here?" Roxy asked in a warning tone, but Rosslyn held up a hand.

"Shut up, okay? I'm not here for anything except to talk, I mean it." She answered in the same warning growl.

Roxy stood and went for her hat to leave. Post-It or not, she wanted the hell out of there. Rosslyn made her nervous for some reason and after all the shit with the souls the cop wanted nothing to do with her.

_Sit, Roxy. Now._ Roxy heard the words but Rosslyn's mouth hadn't moved. In a panic she went to push past her, but she couldn't seem to make her feet move._ Sit. Now. All of you, you're not going anywhere until I talk to you._

ROPOV

God, seeing all of them looking up at me was hard to take. My hands were shaking and I crossed my arms to hide it. Every last one, especially Roxy was looking at me with fear in their eyes. Even Mason, who I had come to love like a brother looked at me a little differently and my heart ached. Deep down I could feel the dark stain spread just a little more as I looked on, but I fought back the urge to run from it.

Rube's eyes were locked on me and I could feel him staring at my shaking hands. They sat in silence and I had to convince my voice to come up and out so I could talk tot hem. It was so hard. I didn't want to lose them. Any of them.

"I haven't been completely honest with you guys." I started and heard the wavering in my voice.

I was losing my nerve and it scared me to death. No way would I be able to face them again if I ran out of there, yet it seemed like I wouldn't even be able to form a coherent sentence. I could feel my mouth drying up and all I wanted was to sit down and have it be like it was.

"I'm not a monster and I don't hurt those souls. I can promise you that much. So don't think any of you are in danger or anything…Rube wouldn't compromise your well being and I wouldn't dream of hurting any of you. That's first and foremost." I tried to keep myself calm, but their stares, especially Roxy's, were boring a hole through me.

"So what are you then?" that was Daisy. Her sweet voice filled me with chills. She had been the one who caused this and she looked at me like I was the devil incarnate.

I took a breath and cast a quick glance at Rube. He was always my support system and he smiled the faintest of smiles, his lips twitching upward only the slightest bit. It was enough to get me to breathe again and I started again:

"I'm a reaper just like any of you. I just do a little bit of a different job."

This caused everyone to cock an eyebrow at me. I saw George twitch out of the corner of my eye and her hand moved under to the table. It was so sweet, she and Mason together, but it only made me long for the time I could really show my affections for Rube in public.

"So what do you do?" George asked slowly.

"You guys have heard about those…rotten souls, haven't you?" I asked, and I heard my voice stumble over the words 'rotten souls'.

They all nodded and again I turned my gaze to lock with Rube's. This was too hard. They'd never understand and I'd be forced to go back and leave…no, I wouldn't. Again his expression changed, but only slightly, to offer me the strength to go on. His eyes flickered a bit and I could feel my love for him bubble over the top of my heart.

"That's…who I reap. Daisy, that 'monster' you saw was the soul of a man who should have passed on a long time ago. If a soul stays in their body long enough after they were supposed to die…it turns into that. And it's out job to bring them back to their Lights. That's why you saw what you saw." I explained, one of my hands gripping the edge of the table to try and keep myself up.

The blonde nodded and I saw her eyes widen a bit. I could see it in their faces that they really didn't understand and for now that was okay, but sooner or later I would have to make it perfectly clear.

"I know Rube's told you all that souls can wither at their own pace. I've seen it happen and it's not a pretty sight. Those people go through life without any kind of feeling or emotion outside of anger and pain. All they can feel is torment because they know something is wrong, but nothing or no one can fix it. Their lives fall apart because they can't fend for their own well being and even their minds and hearts fight against them. They don't want to die and get away from their existence, but they don't want to live with it either. It's a catch-22 no matter what and they have to go on like that until one of us can find them and take it away." I calmly explained, but my resolve was fading fast.

"So how do you get beat up like that, huh?" Roxy asked. Her body language hadn't changed but in her eyes I could tell that something in her was struggling to believe me.

"They prey on us. We have to dig down beneath all their pain and anger to find the soul that should walk into the Light, but they don't want us there so they fight us off. They're capable of anything and they're a threat to any undead…or living and that's why we have to fight them off on sight. If a living person or any of you guys tried to do anything it would kill you faster than anything."

"We're already dead, love, remember?" Mason. He smiled a bit, probably in attempts to ease my nerves and it did help to some extent to see that impish grin of his.

"They'll send you to your Lights then. Reapers heal fast from wounds they receive to just their bodies but this is a totally different thing. They kill any hope in you when you touch their mind, and we have to touch their minds. We're trained since…death…to seek these souls out and help them. That means we're able to read their minds and seek out their souls. It's kind of like a scent, you know? The trail they leave. I can feel one a mile off. That's my job." I was fading and I knew what the next question was going to be. I hated the next question.

Daisy looked at me, "and how did you get this position?"

I winced. My eyes locked on Rube for support but I knew it wouldn't do any good at this point. How could I explain it to them? How could they possibly understand? Couldn't they leave it alone and just take the explanation as it was? Of course fucking not.

"The same as you did." I whispered, my gaze falling to the table and I felt tears gathering in my eyes, "I filled a quota."

I could hear them fall silent. It was a rule: you take the place in the division you died in for the person who filled their quota. Roxy was stunned, her eyes wide. Daisy looked paler than normal, one hand wrapped around the gold band she wore on a chain around her neck. George and Mason's hands were probably clasped tight under the table, both of their faces wrapped in surprise. Rube was the only one who didn't give me that look. His face was calm and gentle as ever, eyes looking at me deeply.

"You were…?" George started and I just nodded before she could finish. I bowed my head to stare down at the table as those tears gathering in my eyes fell finally. I didn't want to cry, but it hurt so much to talk about it. I never regretted my becoming a reaper but my life was one big mistake in my eyes.

I was aware that the group had shifted and a presence was beside me. A strong arm wound its way around my waist and I sighed. Rube. Always there for me when I needed him. Never had he left me alone when I was upset or angry and he never would.

_Damn right I would never leave you alone._ His mind brushed mine with as much skill as my own. We really had been spending too much time together. I fought the urge to turn into his protective arms and looked up, tears and I'm sure mascara slid down my cheeks and I tried to wipe them away.

"When…what happened to you?" Roxy asked.

I never talked about my death, or the time I was supposed to die anyway. I hadn't really thought about it for a while and her question caught me off guard. Surely they just wanted to know how and why I did what I did. Why should they care about my life?

"I was supposed to die when I was five, or so I was told. My reaper, who I guess thought he was doing me a favor, decided that they'd 'save me' from whatever was supposed to happen. I don't remember too much about it. It worked and I lived but…twenty-one years without a soul is something I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through." I could feel myself start to shake and Rube's grip on me tightened, "It was hell, okay? Just hell."

"So…how did you…get to be a reaper?" George asked and I felt a tug in my heart that I hadn't felt since I died.

"I uh…the guy who was supposed to send me to my Lights must have gotten his promotion out of compensation." I didn't recognize my voice at all and if anyone could understand what I had said they should be awarded a fucking medal, "I think I killed him when he tried to help me and that's why I'm here." And again I lowered my head, feeling the blackness spread out wide as I thought back.

_Don't think about it._ I heard Rube's voice in my mind in that sharp command. Instantly I tried closing my mind from the memory but as I did I caught flashes of my reaper's blood as I stood, a finally whole soul, over his dying body. He was covered in deep, angry scratches and cuts. Holes in his chest and deep gashes in his torso made blood seep out into the grass. There was so much blood, just so much blood. And I was covered in it.

My eyes opened and I looked down to my hands on the table and saw them covered in that same blood again. I bit back a moan, but settled for leaning back against Rube's arm limply. He steadied me and I fought to not be sick over everything. I felt Rube's hand over to clasp my shoulder and I covered his hand in mine, trying to keep us connected. I needed him.

"I took his place because I killed him. It was a long time ago and I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just wanted you guys to understand that I'm not…I couldn't…hurt any of them." My voice sounded hollow and Rube gently squeezed my shoulder.

They all looked up to me and I could feel my eyes welling up again. No one made a move to leave, or to shoot me at any rate. Their faces were blank or covered in what looked to be shock.

"So they can kill you, then?" Mason asked, one of his hands moving to wrap around my free one.

I nodded again and he squeezed it. God, he really was like my little brother. I saw George's expression change briefly but I caught her gaze, _it's nothing, Georgie, I promise. I love another man._ And it changed back. Her eyes lowered and she smiled faintly at me. I think she understood and I was glad. George could be a good friend to me and I hoped that all of this wouldn't…fuck with that.

Roxy stood up shakily and looked at me. I turned my eyes to meet hers and she was…there wasn't a word for it. She looked as though she'd seen a ghost. Suddenly I realized that they had probably all seen that image of the blood from when I died. _Shit._ She put a hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes for a long time. I think she wanted to see if I was just a really good liar, but I think Rube's presence and the inevitable look on has face was enough to negate that idea.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm…really sorry." She apologized and I smiled an 'I'm so about to cry so don't make me talk' smile.

She tipped her hat and walked out, looking out at Rube and I before she walked through the glass door. Daisy stared straight ahead, her face paler than normal. She looked haunted. Her hands shook as they gripped the coffee mug, but in my mind I was sure she was just playing the part of the concerned coworker. I doubted if she even really cared. The look on her face was too much for her: typically her emotions were hidden underneath that façade but this time she actually looked at me like she cared, or acted like she looked like she cared.

"They can kill you?" she asked again in a whisper and stumbled out of the booth. She caught my arm as she made a bee line for the door and she looked at me with those wide, blue eyes, "I'm so sorry. I'm so very, very sorry. I didn't know...I..." and left.

That left George and Mason who looked up at the two of us. We mirrored each other, I think. Mason and George were a younger version of Rube and I. they sat there, hands clasped under the table and I caught eyes with Mason and winked an all-knowing wink. He blushed crimson and I knew. _They had sex…it's about fucking time._ With a tug both he and George were at their feet.

Mason half smiled at me in a sympathetic way and pulled me into a hug, wrenching me out of Rube's hold. The brit hugged me for a good, solid minute and I could swear that George and Rube exchanged a look from over us. I smiled and hugged Mason back before he pulled away and kissed my forehead lightly, "I never thought you were a monster, Ros, never."

I choked back a sob at that, tears starting to roll down my face. Mason had never said anything like that to me. No one aside from Rube had ever said anything like that to me. It was reassuring and it was sweet. I smiled and kissed his cheek, winking at George as I did so. I could feel Rube's thoughts shift a little and I pulled away from my long-time friend before he looped and arm around his girlfriend.

"I'm…sorry, Rosslyn…" George started and I held up a hand.

"No. Don't worry about it. Now go one, you'll be late." I answered and she smiled. They turned to go, but stopped after a moment and George turned to look back at Rube and I.

"No Post-Its?"

He smiled, "later."

The blonde nodded and the two walked out arm in arm. As they left I felt Rube move in behind me and wrap those strong arms around my waist as a symbol on protection. God, it was such an ordeal and I never wanted to go through it again.

I hadn't even taken the time to notice if Kiffany or anyone else had been looking at us. The waitress leaned against the counter and caught my gaze, going over to us, "coffee for you two?" she asked and I nodded. Rube smiled and pressed a kiss to my right temple and I saw Kiffany's smile widen.

"It's about damn time." She said and turned, walking to the back.

I spun around in Rube's arms and looked up at him. His strong features were set, but I could tell there was something behind it. I know I could have prodded and found out what it was, but it seemed after everything that we just wanted some time to be together without anything like that between us. As natural as it was for the two of us, I didn't read his mind.

"I love you…" he whispered and I relaxed finally, my weight leaning on his. He was so strong. I needed his strength.

"I love you too." I answered and buried my face into the folds of his jacket, just taking in his scent. It was so familiar and so inviting. If I had the chance I would never move from his arms and just stay like that for the rest of my afterlife.

He ran a hand through my hair and I smiled into his chest, hugging him closer to me. I loved him so much. I never wanted to be away and hopefully now I wouldn't be just this dirty little secret that came every once in a while. Now wed finally get to have the relationship we'd been fighting off for so long. But was it kosher? Could reapers…date?

_Fuck the rules, Rosslyn. I'm not losing you._

That was all I needed to hear to start my crying again. I was just a pile of emotions that had been locked away for the last few days. Hell, come to think of it now, it was years of pent up anger and frustration just building in me and he let me cry it all out just right there.

Kiffany had come and gone, patting my shoulder as she passed. I smiled in midst of my tears, but couldn't stop. I was finally free of the burden of keeping things a secret from them. But would it help me?


	21. Not Quite Right I

Chapter 20: Not Quite Right I

OPOV

Roxy shoved the door to Der Waffle Haus open with a resounding "god dammit!" Inside the few people who sat in the booths looked up and locked eyes on her. Two specific pairs of said eyes kept their gaze as she made her way to their normal booth and slid in across from Rube and Rosslyn. The two glanced at each other quickly before turning back to their friend who sat, sopping wet from the thunderstorm outside.

"The fuck happened to you?" Rube asked simply as Roxy shrugged off her coat and rubbed a hand down her bare arms. She was wearing a dress and that was an oddity in itself, but why tonight? Something was amiss.

"I don't want to talk about it." Roxy answered and looked into Rube's eyes before turning to Rosslyn who blinked and turned her gaze away.

They sat in silence for a bit, the two older reapers gazing down at the table, Roxy off at the floor with no attempt to say anything between the three of them. Kiffany wandered by eventually and handed Roxy a chipped mug full of hot coffee which she graciously accepted and took to warming her hands on it before settling in to the vinyl seat and sipping it slowly.

"What happened, Roxy?" Rosslyn asked in a very gentle voice.

The other woman's eyes darted up and stared at her for a moment before her eyes returned to the table top. Roxy didn't answer and instead just stared on at the table top. Rube and Rosslyn exchanged another look as they regarded their fellow reaper and Rube shrugged, shaking his head.

"Hell of a night's all." She finally answered and took a long pull from the coffee in front of her.

_As Roxy sat down on the couch she turned and saw William putting a cd into his stereo. She smiled, he did know her enough that she loved having music on whenever possible. It was a rare treat seeing him, let alone any man, offer up a symbol of affection that way. As he slid in beside her he caught her chin with one hand and brought her lips to his in a deep, heated kiss._

_When they pulled away from each other Roxy looked at him, her eyes heavy lidded and she smiled, "What was that for?"_

_He grinned and slid an arm around her, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "because you're so beautiful." He answered and Roxy couldn't help the blush that burned up her cheeks._

"_How sweet…" she smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and listened to the music pouring out from the speakers._

"_But you know what I would love?" he asked and Roxy opened her chestnut coloured eyes and smiled._

"_What's that?"_

_Something changed in his face and Roxy could feel an alarm growing in the pit of her stomach. Those once soft eyes turned dark and cold and the arm around her waist started to feel as if it were choking her and pinning her down. In an attempt to wrench herself loose William caught her face and smiled down at her, something sinister behind that smile._

"_Dance for me. You said you like to dance and I want you to dance for me."_

"_I'm not going to just dance, Will." Roxy answered and tried to pull her way from his arms._

_William reached down and wrapped his other hand around her arm, hard, and locked her there. Even Roxy, the bad ass witch of the North West, was a little worried. This was definitely not right. Something was really wrong._

"_Dance for me, Roxy. Do it." His voice lowered an octave and again Roxy felt the tug of something in her._

"_No, Will. Let me go."_

"_Fucking dance for me. You know you want to." He growled and she pulled herself out of his grasp and made way for the door. She grabbed the first coat she saw and pulled it on, throwing open the door to run outside. _

_William made a grab for her, but she slipped out of the house and ran down the now very wet sidewalk until she couldn't run anymore. The rain was pouring down and her heart was racing faster than it ever had. Never in her life had a man made a grab for her like that. Never._

_Where could she go? Home? No, she didn't feel like being alone. Rube's? No, not this late. The others'? Ha, yeah right. She sighed and leaned against the side of a building, closing her eyes against the freezing cold rain and wind to try and collect herself before she went anywhere. She was alone and scared for the first time in years. What the hell was she supposed to do now?_

"Rox?" Rube asked and she turned to look at him.

"Huh?"

Rube and Rosslyn shared another short glance before Roxy put down her cup and started to pull her jacket back on. She was a mess: her hair was plastered against her face, clothes soaked and clinging to her, makeup running down her face and she was shaking. Shaking from what, the other reapers had no idea, but she was shaking violently.

Rosslyn licked her lips and put a hand on Roxy's arm gently, "you want a ride?"

Roxy shook her head and started for the door. The younger looking girl jumped up and caught her arm again, "let me take you home. This weather's fucking awful and you shouldn't have to walk in it. Come on."

Roxy regarded her for a moment before nodding. Rosslyn smiled and turned to grab her keys and kissed Rube's cheek, "I'll be back. Stay here." She whispered and the two headed out the door.

Rube stared after them and took another drink of his coffee, going back to the paper he and Rosslyn had been reading earlier. As Rosslyn pulled out of the parking lot she turned to her fellow reaper and smiled slightly. Roxy said nothing and kept her eyes on the road in front of them, arms wrapped protectively around her body.

"Did something happen?" Rosslyn asked gently, her mind opening to try and pick up anything.

"Nothing happened."

"Come on, Rox. You can tell me. "Rosslyn tried not to urge her too much as she turned down another street.

"William was being an asshole tonight, okay? That's all." Roxy answered, still not turning her attention from the road ahead of them.

The minute Rosslyn heard her speak his name she felt a tug somewhere and a very bad feeling crept into her heart. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Roxy never got this shaken up over anything and the fact that neither she nor Rube could coax it out of her was disturbing.

"Did he do something to you?" Rosslyn asked, again in a very gentle voice.

Roxy shook her head but her face said otherwise. Her normally cool composure was gone and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. Rosslyn pulled up in front of Roxy's apartment complex and shut off the engine, looking at her passenger.

"Um…if you need anything call one of us. We'll come and take care of things if we have to-" Rosslyn started but Roxy cut her off by holding up a hand.

"I'm fine, okay? I just needed a ride home."

Rosslyn's mouth snapped shut and she nodded, turning the keys in the ignition as Roxy got out and slammed the door shut behind her leaving the other girl to look with a worried face. Never had Rosslyn seen Roxy that way and to tell the truth it was fucking scary as hell to see her like that.

The drive back to Der Waffle Haus was long as Rosslyn tried to feel a way around whatever walls Roxy was putting up. Something about William had scared the fuck out of her and it wasn't just a normal guy thing. Something deeper was going on. It was horrible thought, but what if William was trying to hurt her? Did he know something that could get Roxy in trouble?

"We have a problem." Rosslyn said in a matter-of-fact voice as she slid into the booth opposite of Rube.

He looked up from the paper and caught her eyes, his eyebrows rising in answer to the look she had on her pale face. They regarded each other silently for a moment before Rube reached out a hand to take hers. They sat there for another quiet moment before Ros bit at her lip and stared down at the table.

"William did something to her."

Rube blinked, "William?"

Rosslyn looked up and gave him a confused look, but she smiled instead. He didn't know about William obviously. This would definitely be an interesting conversation. As Rosslyn smiled to herself she felt Rube's hand squeeze her own, demanding answers.

"The guy she's been seeing. He did something to her and…it's not just a normal boyfriend-girlfriend thing either. There's something…else happening."

"Since when is she seeing someone?"

"Since a while now. That isn't the point."

"Well how come I wasn't told about her having a boyfriend?" Rube asked, leaning in a bit.

"Because you and I were having enough issues and I doubt she wanted anyone to know. She's not young, Rube, she knows what she's doing-"

"I'm her boss, Ros. She should have told me what was going on."

"It's her personal life! You can't dictate what they can and can't do."

"I should at least have been told, all right? Now…what?"

"I think he's…I don't know. I get a weird feeling when she's thinking about him."

"Weird feeling like what?"

"Weird feeling like I might reap him feeling."

Rube cocked an eyebrow at that one, "say what now?"

"How can you tell that?"

"I just can…something…about his name and the way he treated her seems really familiar about it."

Rube squeezed her hand again and she gave him a half smile, the ends of her lips just twitching up a bit. They sat in silence again for a while before Rube moved to sit beside her and she leaned on him as she had become accustomed to doing.

"I'm worried about it." Rosslyn admitted, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"We'll take care of it. No one's harassing my friends. And no one's getting reaped by you that we know, okay?" he was trying to be comforting…and failing.

"You can't know that."

He caught her chin and lifted it so that he could drop a kiss over her lips. The caused a blush to rise up in her and she averted her eyes. They smiled and laughed at that before resuming the position they had been in only with Rube's arm around her this time.

They sat there for a long time in silence before they tossed down a heft mound of cash and left for his apartment. As they neared the old, beaten up truck Ros slid her hand into his as they walked and looked over at him. Yep, she really made him feel young again and this time around he wasn't going to avoid it and shy away from the pretty girl who took a liking to him.

She stood beside the door and waited for him to open it, but instead he leaned in and they kissed in the rain. It was different than any other kiss they'd shared, but the same as well. It was so cold out, but between them it seemed as though fire was raging and when they finally broke apart Rosslyn looked up at him, her eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"What was that for?"

Rube grinned, an actual, bona fide grin, "Because you care so much."

Daisy sat in the arm chair in living room of the house she and Mason and George shared, listening to the rain. It was strange being alone in the house. Well, not really alone because Mason and George were up in her room doing whatever it was they did at night. In a way it made her jealous that Mason had taken a liking to someone else, especially George. Not to say that she wasn't a pretty girl or deserved a boyfriend or anything but…_Mason loved me…ME._

She had never been genuinely loved before and Mason was the first to ever…truly say that he cared about her. And look what she did to him? He bought her an engagement right for God's sake and she just batted him away like he was some toy. Now she was alone. Really alone because she'd made a right ass of herself to him and George.

_They're just up there talking…they have to be. She doesn't like him like that, there's no way. And he's too…he'll miss me. I know he will. I know he still cares about me. Why else would he give me that ring if it didn't mean that he really was in love with me, right?_

She slid her finger through the little gold band and looked down at it. Once upon a time she thought herself to be unlucky to the guys she dated, but now she really understood. As long as she was looking for real love she would be doomed and now that she had no need for it she'd certainly find it, right? It was the law of definite proportions at its best. It really was a beautiful ring; Mason really knew how to pick 'em.

"He'll come back. He always comes back. And if he doesn't…I'll just have to show him the way…" she murmured to herself in a hollow voice.


	22. Not Quite Right II

Chapter 21: Not Quite Right II

OPOV

Morning came and went, leaving both Rosslyn and Rube to sit in their booth at Der Waffle Haus doing the crossword puzzle as was their norm. The group had come and left already, George with Mason in tow and what looked like a very upset Daisy trailing behind them. Both Rosslyn and Rube exchanged a glance as they all left, taking their Post-Its with them, wondering just what the hell was up.

"Does she have the day off today?" Rosslyn asked Rube quietly, picking up a pen and filling in a line of squares on the paper.

"No, not that I…holy shit." Rube answered and Rosslyn lifted her head to see Roxy come in.

The woman looked exhausted and apparently decided to not be on duty that morning. She looked a wreck glared squarely over at the other two reapers before plopping down in the booth and picking up a menu, "I don't want to talk about it."

"The fuck, Roxy? You look like you've been hit by a bus!" Rube hissed and pulled the menu out of her hands.

Rosslyn made a face and stared down at the tabletop, one hand on her mug of coffee. She waited as both Roxy and Rube stared at each other to see who would break first and neither was willing to lose that morning. This was certainly not a place she wanted to be in.

_Tell her to bring him here tonight and we'll take care of things, yeah?_ Rosslyn smiled and slid out of the booth, tugging her jacket over her shoulders and wrapped a scarf around her neck. The two momentarily looked up and Rube nodded, letting the younger looking girl walk away before regarding his coworker.

"The hell is wrong, Rox? Seriously." Rube asked and Roxy just stared down at the table.

"Not that it's any of y'all's business but I've been seeing a guy, okay? " Roxy answered and glared out at her boss. She was so not in the mood for this bullshit after last night.

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because you didn't fucking need to know, okay? I'm not George or any of the kids; I can handle myself!" Roxy countered, her voice raising just a little.

"But I need to know! You can't just go around with the living! There are rules, Roxy; you of all people understand that." Rube's voice dropped an octave at the last part, his eyes burning holes into Roxy's.

"Rules? Rules about what? Dating? Is this what this is about, Rube because you and Ros look damn comfortable! And if you can date I sure as hell can too!" Roxy hissed back and leaned close.

"Rosslyn is dead! William is not! There's a difference!" Rube shot back.

Roxy's eyes widened at that and she leaned back in the booth, her eyes on Rube. He scowled down at her for what felt like hours until she ran a hand through her wavy black hair and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"How'd you know it was him?" she asked finally.

"I just did."

"Fucking liar. Who told you? Ros?"

He shook his head, "Just trust me, okay? Now what the fuck is going on?"

Roxy's eyes lowered to the table and she shrugged, "nothing. We were fine one minute and then he was…I can't explain it. He was just different. Scary. Not himself, you know?"

Rube nodded, "did he do something to you, Rox?"

She shook her head no but crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them, "I just don't know. He kept calling me last night and I didn't sleep…even worse than normal."

"Bring him here tonight and I'll talk to him about how he treats my friends."

Roxy's head shot up, "here? You mean…here. As in…Der Waffle Haus?"

He nodded, "I can't think of another 'here', can you?"

She cocked an eyebrow, "why?"

"Because I want to get to know this gentleman suitor of yours and kick his ass if need be, okay? Now say thank you."

"Th-thanks…I think." She murmured.

Rube nodded and stood, pulling on his jacket. On his way out he caught Kiffany and ordered Roxy a cup of coffee and breakfast on him. The waitress smiled and nodded, knowing instinctively that anytime he bought his…group food that it was a sign that one of them was ass-deep in shit. Apparently this time it was Roxy. That was a shocker.

M. Higgins died a tragic death by falling down a flight of stairs. It was sad, really, to see such a woman of her caliber on the ground in a crumpled heap, but that hardly fazed the blonde reaper as she dug through the corpse's pockets for anything of value. She didn't have anything, the bitch.

Daisy was in a horrible mood. Well, to be perfectly correct she had been in a horrible mood for the last few weeks. She had no idea what was wrong, but she knew that she wasn't exactly herself and that bothered her to no end. Why exactly did she care so much to see her boss all cuddled up with some…woman? And why did every time she saw Mason and Georgia together did she feel like screaming? Why suddenly did she want Mason's undivided attention?

She knew he loved her, bus apparently Georgia and her 'poor little dead eighteen year old' thing had finally gotten him to take pity on her. Well, she'd liked him for a long time; any idiot could see that one. Of course, any idiots but the two of them anyway. That bothered her. He was the first man to refuse her…well, refuse her after the fact. No man had ever refused her.

_He'll miss me. Georgia will get on his nerves just as she does everyone else's and he'll come crawling back to me like he always does. He's probably just using her because she's there…he can't possibly like her that much, hm? No, he'll be back…_

With a flick of her wrist she powered her face and smiled at her reflection in the tiny mirror. Beautiful, as always. Ah, there was work to be done yet. She had plans to make to…perhaps show Mason the way back though she doubted she'd need it but…just in case.

William Garrett, long time soldier and now security guard strolled up to the doors of what looked to be…a 24 hour diner? The fuck was Roxy thinking? They were so much better than this. And a…waffles place no less? What the fuck was going on here? He'd never even heard of the place.

He pushed open the door and a jangling of bells echoed throughout the room. A few heads looked up and he half hoped that she's gotten the wrong address and they'd be going somewhere…real…on a date that night. A real date or he was not going to be happy and she did not want to see him when he was unhappy. But there she was, sipping at a cup of coffee with her eyes locked on him from behind a divider between booths. God, she was pretty.

As William turned the corner he saw two others sitting in the seat across from her. One was an older man and the woman beside him looked young…twenties or so. They both turned to look at him and the man kept an expressionless face while the girl tried to smile…and failed.

Rube took a sidelong glance at Rosslyn as she smiled at William. Instantly as he came into their line of sight her grip on his hand tightened and he could feel the unease settle in. She caught his gaze and shook her head slightly, just enough so he could see. His grip tightened on her hand as well and she bit at her lower lip.

"Hey, Roxy, I didn't know we were double dating tonight…" William started and leaned down to kiss her, but she shied away from him.

"So, that's how it's going to be, huh? Well then…" he started and turned to go.

"We're old friends. Please sit down and we'll talk." Rube gestured to the seat beside Roxy.

William regarded him for a moment before taking the seat. Kiffany came by and they placed orders…coffee and little else all around. The waitress could feel the cloud of uncertainty and something…darker…hovering over them and it wasn't until she laid eyes on Rosslyn who looked like she was about to pass out did she slowly back away. There was something definitely wrong there.

"So, what's all this about, Roxy, huh?" William asked and turned to the woman on his left.

Roxy didn't say anything and kept her gaze down. She was shaking, perhaps out of the chill in the room but mostly out of fear. He wasn't normal…he hadn't been normal in weeks. Even that night she could feel it radiating off of him…malice and anger all directed at her. No, she didn't want to be alone with him.

"I wanted you to meet my old friends Rube and Rosslyn. I've known them for years." Roxy explained and again Rosslyn tried the tight lipped smile that came out as a slight grimace.

"Nice to meet you, William. Roxy's told us so much about you…I feel like I know you…" Rosslyn's voice dropped an octave to the musical tone she used with her reaps. William's eyes locked on hers and she stared at him for what felt like an eternity before Rube brushed his thumb over her fingers to bring her out of it. When she turned her face to meet his she was white as a sheet. That was definitely not a good sign.

William's gaze had turned angry and cold as he stared out at Rosslyn from across the table. She touched something in him and he wasn't happy. Even as alive and kicking as he was there wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind that he was rotting from the inside out…and if Roxy wasn't careful she'd be along for the ride with him.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Rube asked in a mock cordial voice as Kiffany brought the coffee to them.

William looked over at Roxy and smiled a fiendish grin. His lips were pulled tight against his dazzling white teeth and in an instant Roxy shivered as though a wind had come up in her. Deep inside she felt something stir and she didn't want to stay around to find out what it was.

"About two months or so…what about you two? A while now, I would assume?" William answered and reached for Roxy's hand.

"A little longer, yeah, actually. Rosslyn and I go way back…" Rube smiled over at Rosslyn who gave him a tired and what looked semi-frightened smile.

"A few years now actually, we've been together." Rosslyn added and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"So what do you do, William? I hear you work at the airport?" Rube asked, leaning closer to the table, never letting go of Rosslyn's hand.

The other man nodded, a death grip of his own wrapped around Roxy's fingers and she silently struggled to get her hand loose. He refused to let her go though and she bit at her lip with a pleading look to Rube who straightened and looked deep into William's eyes.

"Look, I don't want to sound like an asshole, but I love Roxy like a sister and I want to make sure that she's dating the…right type of guy, you know what I mean there, William? She's very important to me…to us," he gestured to a now almost sick looking Rosslyn who nodded quickly, " and we just want to see her happy."

Rosslyn smiled, "she's like my best friend," she lied, "I could do no other than look out for her, you know?"

William again smiled that sinister grin and looked down at Roxy who flinched. Never had she had to deal with a guy like that. And she was NOT a person to be fucked around with…and he scared the piss out of her. She was a strong woman, everyone knew that, but she was still a woman and the fact that a guy was dicking around with her was frightening.

"I think I'm perfect for her to tell you the truth. She has a lot of secrets but…I think in time as our feelings grow I could come to figure them out. She's an amazing woman and I'd love to spend as much time with her as I can…" William started but was interrupted by Rosslyn putting a hand to her head and gasping loudly.

Rube turned to her and she flashed him a knowing look. He nodded and slid his arms around her shoulders: this William was dead. Well, dead in a sense that his soul wasn't going to last too long and it was only a matter of time before it was gone and Roxy was in a hell of a lot of trouble. Rosslyn wasn't doing so well and Roxy looked as though she was about to assume the fetal position and start to rock. It was time to get the fuck out of dodge.

"I think we had better go, ladies." Rube announced, wrapping Rosslyn up in her jacket, "Roxy rode with us and I think she might need to come help us out. Ros gets horrible migraines and I can't take care of her on my own. So…come on, Rox."

William didn't move as Roxy went to push him out of the booth. Instead he held fast to her hand and smiled again. That smile was starting to make her sick. As he sat there Rube and Rosslyn got to their feet and turned to meet Roxy who was trapped between the wall and William in the booth.

"I'll take her home, don't worry, Rube was it? I won't let anything bad happen to our girl." William grinned and proceeded to not move.

"Roxy…you need to come with us. William…she needs to come with us and she _will_ come with us." Again Rosslyn's voice dropped to that musical tone and William reluctantly got up to let Roxy through.

It was evident that Ros wasn't feeling well and Roxy reached out a hand to steady her as she swayed in Rube's arms. The two men regarded each other silently before the three reapers turned to leave. As they drove to Rosslyn's apartment, well, the one she had been staying at so Roxy would have a safer place to sleep the ringer of a cell phone went off. Amid the jangling of bells and everything else Roxy picked it up and her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Fucking Jesus…" was all she said before Rosslyn took the phone and her eyes too widened at what she saw.

_How dare you do that to me. We're going out tomorrow and you're going to pay for tonight…I don't care if you're a cop. You'll pay for pulling that shit on me._

Rosslyn shut the phone off and looked at her fellow reaper, "We'll take care of things, Rox, I promise."

The other woman nodded silently as they drove on, her mind whirling at the idea of what course of action to pursue. Did she report harassment? He only smiled at her weird…he hadn't hurt her aside from the whole...holding her in his arms bit. And aside form that text message he hadn't been violent at all.

Daisy pushed open the door to the house with a swift movement, letting it shut with a loud click behind her. The house was dark already even though it was early, but the light in the kitchen signified that someone was home. She smiled, George's car wasn't in the driveway so that had to mean that Mason was there.

"Hello? Anyone home? Georgia? Mason?" Daisy called, tossing her coat down on the couch before heading straight to the kitchen.

She walked into the kitchen to see Mason Leaning over the counter with a cup of coffee between his long fingers. He looked up and caught her eyes but looked down again into his drink before blowing on it a few times and taking a sip, "yeah I'm here, what do you want?"

Daisy shrugged and crossed her elegant arms, leaning her hip into the counter. She smiled her signature 'Daisy Adair Million Dollar' smile and reached out a hand to take the mug out of his grasp and take a sip from it. Again she grinned while Mason's jaw set and he ran a hand through his mussed hair and looked at her, "what do you want, Daisy?"

"Oh, just to talk, Mason, that's all. I feel like we haven't talked in months." She smiled and leaned in, half hoping he'd slide an arm around her.

"We haven't." he answered and picked up the mug, taking another sip.

"Well then I'm of the mind to start talking again, how's that?" she asked and twirled a finger into her platinum curls.

"How about not, yeah?"

She felt her smile slide away faster than it'd come and she had to blink a few times to get that one, "excuse me?"

"I said 'how about not.' I don't want to talk to you, Daisy, you've been nothing but a bitch for the last few months and I'm not in the mood for your shit tonight, okay?"

Since when did he ever talk like that to her? He'd insulted her and had actually…sounded angry at her. He was never angry at her. What right did he have to be that way?

"What shit? All I want to do is talk, Mason, that's all."

He looked up at her, "yeah, all you want to do is talk. Hear yourself talk."

She narrowed her blue eyes at him, "come on, Mason, don't be like that. I'm just trying to patch things up between us, you know? I mean, I know we haven't really sat down and had a conversation or anything, but…"

Mason cut her off, "You've been a right bitch to me since I fucking moved in, alright? And for the last couple of weeks you're acting like someone walked over your grave and everyone's a fucking alien so don't try and get all cozy with me, Daisy."

She took a breath out of frustration and decided that it was time to turn on the charm. If she was ever going to have the chance to get him to listen to her…she'd have to be the sweetest thing he'd ever seen. And damn it all if she wasn't good at that.

"It's the whole…Rosslyn and Rube thing. I mean, to think that our commander in chief has a girlfriend is a little weird, don't you think? And after all that she said about herself…she's a scary girl. I mean…and she and Rube? Together? Like…dating together? I can't picture it."

"Hey, she's a really great girl, okay? Ros is twenty times the woman than Rube thinks he deserves and for some reason she loves him and he loves her back so don't get all dodgy about it because you don't have anyone." Masons hot back at her from over the rim of his mug.

"Well neither do you, Mason. We're all alone in this big, bad world of the living with no one out there to love us. Well, in a sense. I mean…after all we've been through there has to be something between us, hasn't there?" Daisy moved up close and rested a hand on Mason's arm to which he stared down and set his jaw again.

"I believe the words were 'it's never going to happen' if I remember correctly."

Daisy smiled a frustrated smile and plucked the mug out of his grasp again and put it on the counter. As she looked back up at him she bit at her lower lip in a seductive way and batted her eyelashes, "I was mistaken, alright? I was wrong. There is a chance…a really big chance." She whispered and laced her fingers with his.

"Don't do this, Daisy. I'm not in the mood for it." Mason tried to pull his hand away from her but she held on tight.

"Come _on_, Mason. I was all you ever fantasized about and now you don't want me anymore? I mean, I'm right here…waiting for you. Come on…I know you love me and I think I could learn to love you too." She mused, moving closer and with the hand that wasn't holding Mason's in a death grip she ran a pale finger down the side of his face.

Mason licked his lips, a slow movement, before leaning down and lifting her chin in one of his hands and gazing into her blue eyes with his green ones. She really was a beauty and Mason could just feel the heat coming off of her in waves. She wasn't screwing around this time: she really did want him.

"Well?" she asked and Mason leaned down so her face was just a breath away from his and she smiled.

"I. Don't. Want. You. Daisy. Now let go of me." Mason deadpanned and Daisy's eyes widened.

"What the fuck are you talking about? You were head over heels in love with me not three months ago and now you can't even kiss me? The hell is your problem, Mason?" she screeched and pulled her hand away from his.

"I don't want anything to do with you anymore, Daisy, I don't. Just because you're lonely doesn't mean you can run back to me because you think I'll open my arms. It's not like that anymore and I'm not in love with you, alright? So get the fuck over yourself and move on." Mason shot back at her and turned around, starting to leave.

"Oh, so just because you're fucking Georgia I'm not good enough, is that it? Because I'm so much better than that little virgin bitch, you had better believe it, Mason!" Daisy shouted and Mason whirled around, landing a resonating smack across her pale cheek.

"Don't you _EVER_ call her that again. If I even imagine you thinking that about her I swear to god I'll find a way to get you the fuck out of here and don't think I won't," he threatened in a low voice and grabbed her wrist hard, pulling her close so he could talk in a barely audible whisper, "and we're not just fucking, Daisy. I love her and there's nothing you can do about it so why don't you go find some nice rich guy and blow his brains out, yeah?" and tossed her arm down before storming out of the kitchen.

"Asshole!" she shouted, holding her wrist to her.

This wouldn't do. There was no way he could refuse her and he wouldn't. There had to be a way to get him to back. She would _not_ fail and he sure as hell wouldn't tell her no again. Her eyes darted toward the liquor cabinet and she smiled. _Bingo._


	23. Against All Odds

Chapter 22: Against All Odds

Rosslyn POV

Rube pushed the door to the apartment open, me leaning on the doorframe beside him and looking up with a half smile. The headache and pain I was in was gone the minute we'd left William at Der Waffle Haus. There was definitely something wrong with him…and inevitably I was going to probably be the one to solve that problem.

"You alright? You look sick a little still." Rube asked and I nodded, following in after him and hanging my coat up.

"Fine, I promise. Just still a little woozy is all." I answered and tried to land a playful kick as he bent over to pick up the manila envelope that was on the ground.

The List came at all time of night, but the fact that he'd just gotten one a few hours ago made my heart jump. A reap tonight? After all of that? Fuck that. There was no way in hell I was going back out after feeling like my head was going to explode.

"Hey, looks like we got ourselves a VIPR, Ros." Rube commented and I looked up from where I was standing and went over to him, sliding my arms around to encircle his torso.

"We? As in we get to go to some amazing place and slack off before and after our reap? I could get behind that." I smiled and leaned around to look.

"Actually, I stand corrected. _You_ have a VIPR, not just us." He said and held over the two envelopes.

"Ha, that's awesome. I haven't had one of these in so long." I teased and he scowled at me to which I promptly stuck my tongue out at him.

"So where is it?" he asked, going over to the kitchen area to put on a pot of coffee as I leaned against the arm of the couch and pulled open the seal.

"Give me a minute to read, Mr. Impatient as Hell."

I unfolded the plain white paper and saw the familiar nondescript handwriting that gave away no sex or personality and stared down at the black ink. I had to have read it about five times with my mouth hanging open before Rube asked me again and all I could do was shake my head. It read:

_Rosslyn L'Anders,  
It has been called to our attention that your services are required in London, England for the next month. We know you've been on vacation for the last two months and due to your unique circumstances there has been the admission of your ability to transfer to the Seattle, Washington area upon your arrival back in the United States. Your travel information and expenses are included in the other envelope and your leave tomorrow night at 9pm. _

I could feel tears gathering up in my eyes and I tore open the other envelope, a stack of cash waiting inside for a plane ticket and anything else I could possibly need. Who the fuck were they to do this to me now? I had a potential reap on my hands here not to mention…I looked over at Rube from beneath tear covered eyelashes and choked back a sob.

Rube turned from the coffeepot and looked at me, concern suddenly flooding his face, "what is it?" he asked and I held the note out to him.

He read silently for a moment and looked up, an expression that quite matched my own on his face. We stood in silence, listening to the sounds of the coffee brewing but suddenly all I wanted was a stiff shot of something that would burn on the way down. How could they do that? Didn't they know? What could possibly be so wrong so far away for such a long time that I'd have to be gone a month? Why me? Weren't there younger, spryer reapers out there bound and determined to travel? I'd seen the world and I'd grown up in England and I had no desire to go back.

"So…" I started and let out a breath, rubbing my arms.

"England. For a month." Rube said plainly and I nodded.

"Tonight and tomorrow during the day…" I added and sat down on the arm of the couch and wiped at my eyes, trying not to sound as though I were crying.

"Yeah…for a month…"

I bit on the inside of my cheek and swept a few strands of hair away from my face in annoyance. Rube just stood there, looking at the ground as the coffee perked and bubbled with the aroma seeping into the room and I suddenly felt exhausted.

"So what should we do tonight then?" he asked, going over and pouring two cups.

I shook my head. I didn't want to do anything except sit and feel sorry for myself. This was my home. This apartment with him was where I belonged and there was no way I would leave for that long. But who was I kidding? I was a dead girl with no other options. How was I supposed to get out of something like that kind of assignment? There was no fucking way I could ever do it.

"I just want to stay here…like normal. I don't want to act like it's my last night here."

RPOV

I saw her lips moving and I knew what her answer would be. It was always the same before she had to leave. She never wanted to act like we had to part and it made me die…again…a little inside when she'd say that. I wanted to make tonight special now that we had that fucking bomb dropped on us. One day together. That was all we had and then a month apart.

"But you'll be transferred here permanently after you come back…that at least they understand." I tried to comfort her as I brought over the coffee and held a mug out to her.

Rosslyn took it and sipped slowly, me watching as the warmth of it made her cheeks glow a little. God, even just watching her stand there in such a mood was amazing. She was so ethereal in her own right and the tears in her eyes were…as sad as it was…beautiful. I couldn't help but stare for a moment before going and putting an arm around her, pulling her close.

"That's not the point. I have no business over there anymore. I don't want to leave…I want to stay here." She murmured and I heard her voice waver before she succumbed to pressing her face into my shoulder.

"I want you to stay too, but that's not the case. We'll just have to enjoy tonight and tomorrow and go from there, okay?"

She nodded and sipped at her coffee, sniffling a little. I smiled and kissed her temple just under her hairline and I felt her smile back, leaning on me. I loved that weight of her and in the last few months I'd gotten so used to having her there in my arms whenever I needed her that it would be so…hard to know that I couldn't just reach out and hold her if I wanted.

She looked up at me and we sat on the couch. We drank our coffee in silence, every once in a while one of us looking at the other with a halfhearted smile. It was comforting, really, knowing that she had to go…which sounds really fucked up. But knowing she had to go now ensured that she'd be staying longer in the future. Apparently someone in management understood not only her feelings about her leaving…but my own.

"Let's go to bed early. I don't want to piss away the day tomorrow…" offered and she looked up and smiled.

We changed and it wasn't until I turned around, suddenly incredibly paranoid to be in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt that I saw her. Really…saw her. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd seen Rosslyn sans clothing but she was covered in blood at the time. And even when the blood was gone it was like it was still all over her so I never really paid too much attention. But right then I saw her, sliding one of my shirts over her head, in every bit of her beauty than there'd ever had been.

She was curvy, but small and incredibly pleasing to the eye. I smiled as I saw the hem hang down to her thighs as she settled in under the covered and started to brush her hair. I loved watching her do this; it was my time to just take in every bit of her as my own and enjoy the presence of a woman by me. Near to my body and deep in my heart. She brushed out all the tangles in those auburn curls and set to braiding the length into a long plait that reach halfway down her back. She was a vision.

I settled in beside her and pulled her into my arms, pressing my face into the crook of her neck and took in the scent of her lingering perfume. She smiled and covered my hands with her own and I held her like I'd never hold her again. We sat like that for a long time, me holding her and her leaning back against me with her eyes closed. When I finally leaned up and kissed her cheek I was surprised to taste tears on her skin.

She was crying silently and I vaguely wondered if she even knew that she was. She was silent and her gaze was on the wall across the room, her hands wrapped safely in mine and her back pressed against my chest. I hurt suddenly and instinctively I knew that it was her.

"Hey…none of that." I teased her softly in attempt to get a smile out of her, but I think it was more for my benefit then hers.

"None of what?" she asked in a whisper, but wiped at her eyes.

I pulled her back to lay with me, her head on my shoulder and my arms wrapped protectively around her. To think that for a month she'd have to go to some apartment or house probably bleeding to death and have no one there for her. It made me literally sick to know she'd go home cold and alone every night. Then it made me even sicker to know that _I_ would be coming home cold and alone every night. To not have her there…I'd gotten so accustomed to having her with me.

I felt her press her face against my chest and I wrapped my arms tighter around her. Rosslyn was shaking and I knew that there would be tears staining my shirt if she looked up. She had been crying all night and I knew she was exhausted. Her body said it all as I ran my fingers over her arm, memorizing the way it crooked to rest on my stomach.

ROPOV

I looked up at saw Rube gazing down at me with the most loving smile I'd ever seen…both in my life and my afterlife. It was pure and gentle, just as he was with me. Some might find it funny that Rube, the often sarcastic and cold man that he seemed to be most of the time, was capable of making my heart do the twists and turns that it was doing. That he was capable of making me never want to leave this place.

Rube sat up a bit and moved to lay on his side so he was leaning over me in that romantic yet protective way. His dark brown eyes moved over my face and I blushed a little, turning my gaze away and covered my face with one hand. I heard him chuckle a bit and he moved my hand away so he could press a kiss to my forehead.

"I don't want to go…" I whispered and turned into him, burying my face into his chest and fought off another onslaught of tears.

He put a comforting arm around me and held me close, my eyes squeezed shut and my breathing just ragged enough to keep myself from crying. I didn't think I had any more tears left after earlier that night, but apparently I was wrong. Dead, pardon the pun, wrong.

"I don't want you to go..." he whispered and I lifted my face to look up into his.

For the first time since our conversation about Rosie (which had been the first time in my whole existence) I saw tears gathering in Rube's eyes. I felt my heart sink just as his was and my mind reached out to his just as it had always done when something was wrong. He was just as eaten up inside as I was, yet he was having a better time with controlling his emotions. I had just figured that he was keeping everything from me out of regard for my feelings…I had been right.

_I don't think I'll be able to last a month, Rube. I don't think I can do it. Not now. Not after all of this…_ I was struggling to not make it sound like I was getting hysterical, which I was. I couldn't imagine going anywhere where he wasn't. I didn't want to be anywhere else but here. I didn't _need_ to be anywhere else but here. There were responsibilities creeping up on me and I needed to be here for them when they came about.

_You'll make it…besides…we'll always be able to talk like this…_and I smiled. His voice was soft and gentle in my mind. I loved knowing I could reach out to him whenever I wanted, but could I really span that far? Surely…no, I wasn't that good.

_Not that far away_...I mused and closed my eyes again, enjoying the feeling of his hand splayed out over my lower back with its warmth spreading out over my skin. Rube looked down at me and frowned, leaning down to press his forehead to mine and I smiled, looking into his eyes.

_We're connected, Rosslyn, and nothing's going to keep us apart. Nothing…_ I could feel him fighting off the urge to cry as well. It hurt me that he was this upset over my leaving. I mean, I'd left before and he never acted like this. Sure, we stayed here and talked most of the night…but this was so different…

I leaned up and put a hand on his chest, kissing him lightly. I felt his mind shift a little and he held me to him, one arm around my back and the other propping himself up. I pushed my hand against his chest until I had him on his back and I was the one leaning over him, the plait my hair was in draped over my shoulder. I smiled and looked down at Rube. My boss. My friend. My lover. My…soul mate.

He reached up a hand and pulled the elastic out of my hair and unraveled the braid until it spilled over us, curtaining our faces away from the rest of the world. We were truly alone now and I couldn't hide from him in that little hideaway within my auburn curls. He kissed me again and I felt his hand slide up under the hem of the shirt I wore to rest against the small of my back. I sighed and pressed my forehead to his, my lips hovering over his cheek.

"You'll miss me, right?" I asked softly and he pushed me away just enough to look into my eyes with an almost hurt expression on his face.

"Why would you ask me something like that?" he asked and his other hand went to stroke my face, his thumb moving over my cheek.

"I just want to know." I was definitely not sounding like the bad-ass-soul-taker-chick that I was, but damn it I just wanted to hear him say it.

"I love you with all my heart, Ros, of course I'll miss you." He whispered and kissed me again.

I smiled down at him as I pulled away and slid my hands underneath his shirt, letting them rest against the warmth of his skin. I could swear to you that if we'd lain there long enough, you couldn't tell either one of us were dead. Sometimes even I have trouble comprehending it when I can lay there and listen to his heart beating…I mean, in a sense we're alive, right? Except that our souls are our bodies?

I felt Rube shift and I sat up a bit, watching as he peeled the white t-shirt off and dropped it beside the bed. A blush crept up on me and I bit my lower lip so hard I thought that I could taste blood after not too long. He was beautiful and I let my eyes wander over the strong, muscled chest and lean torso. You wouldn't know it from those baggy shirts he wore, but Rube had a body and it was a damn nice one.

"What…?" I asked and he pulled me to him, letting my head rest over his pounding heart.

He was so warm. And I, who am usually always cold, was finally warm too. We laid there, his hand splayed out across my lower back and me resting on his bare chest. Never had I been this…intimately close to him. Hell, to anyone, really. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an over two hundred year old virgin or anything, but…it was never as intimate as that. I never took the time to get to know anyone as intimately as I have with Rube...and I didn't want to.

I felt one of his hands rake through my hair and I closed my eyes, the feeling of it relaxing me to the point where I could feel my eyes starting to close. I felt my breath surrender to match his and inadvertently I knew my heartbeat would soon match his as well if it didn't already. I didn't want to move. Ever. I didn't want to leave and I didn't want to imagine not being there.

"Ros?" he asked and I looked up, one hand smoothing over the hard line of his stomach.

"Hm?"

He smiled a crooked half grin and I couldn't help but smile back. It was obvious that we were trying to ignore what was really going on and we were both okay with that. Neither one of us wanted to face the fact that we'd both be completely alone for the next month. That and my laying in bed with him like that wasn't exactly the best situation for the two of us at the particular moment.

I leaned up and kissed him, one of his hands coming up to cradle my face to his. I curled into him and we kissed for a long time, him holding me close. It wasn't enough…I didn't want there to be an inch between us. As cliché as it was I didn't want there to be a barrier at all.

"I love you, Ros; I love you with all my heart." Rube whispered into the crook of my neck and I felt his lips press against my throat.

He pushed me over until he was leaning over me again and I looked up into his eyes again. There we were, there he was with those dark eyes staring down into my very soul. I reached up a hand and touched his cheek, trying to memorize the feel of it in my hands. We lay like that for an eternity, just staring at each other.

_I don't want to leave. This is my home._ I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my forehead to his chest, feeling his pulse just under my lips.

_This is your home. THIS is your home, here, in my arms._ One of Rube's hands slid down my arms, goose bumps coming up where his hand touched.

I brushed a kiss over his heart and felt a breath come in a gasp to his chest. That was something I wasn't used to: Rube actually…_enjoying_ time like this. Normally everything was just so romantic with maybe a slight undertone of something more. Never did I see his eyes widen like that and gaze down at me with…hunger. Hell, I didn't even know he possessed an emotion like that. I mean, I know he had a daughter and all, but…never had I seen that when he was with me.

"I want you to put tomorrow out of your mind. I want it to just be us tonight." He whispered and I realized I was staring off into space.

I nodded and he kissed me. Now, in the span of this interesting little relationship we'd adopted we'd kissed quite a few times and there had been a number of different variations: sweet, loving, gentle, and passionate. This though, this was a whole new kind of thing. It was darker, more primal and if I wasn't mistaken there was a hint of something that I hadn't thought about in…years.

"Rube…" my voice came out as a whisper and he traced a finger over my lips before he kissed me again but I shook my head, and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Ros?"

I smiled halfheartedly. There wasn't much that could be said for the look I gave him. I'm sure I looked defeated or something but…I couldn't sleep with him. Not like that. Not just because I was leaving for a month. If I was going to have sex with him it was going to be for more a good reason than that was.

"Not like this…" I murmured and I saw his face change completely. It went from passionate to…what I thought would be angry but it changed to something completely different: love.

He pulled me close again and I fell asleep listening to the sounds of his breathing and his heart pounding. I kissed his shoulder before I succumbed to the fuzzy arms of sleep and he slid his hand up and down my spine in a gesture meant to ease me. It worked.

Der Waffle Haus that morning was probably the worst place I could have ever chosen to be at ever. I wasn't in a good mood and I didn't feel like having to say goodbye. As everyone filed in I stayed quiet and merely let Rube slide an arm around my shoulders. Breakfast was quiet. Roxy hardly spoke, Daisy was in her own little world as she had been for the last few weeks…I think she was plotting something and it was something I didn't want to get involved in and George and Mason shuffled in looking as bright and chipper as ever. Which, you know, translated into 'god fucking morning, I hate my afterlife, give me waffles, god damn you.'

I didn't eat. I couldn't eat. All I could do was just stare up at the clock and do the math as to how long until my flight left. I watched everyone else and felt my heart swell up in response to knowing that these people were my family and I was leaving them in their proverbial hour of need. What the fuck kind of reaper was I? Oh wait…a good one, that's why I'm leaving.

"I have something to say, guys," I started and everyone looked up from their assorted plates, "I'm…I've been transferred."

Four pairs of eyebrows lifted in response to that. Roxy blinked a few times and leaned in toward the table, "What do you mean you've been transferred? You don't even work here."

I nodded, "I'll be in London for the next month…then hopefully back here. Permanently." I punctuated the last word with a squeeze to Rube's hand and I'm not entirely sure if it was more for his benefit or my own.

"Permanently? Like…staying here?" Mason asked and cracked a grin to which I just couldn't help but mimic.

"Yes, back here for forever and ever, amen." I answered and he grinned again.

"You'll be over in my old stomping grounds, then. You'll love London, Ros." Mason added and snuck a sip of George's orange juice.

I smiled, "Mine too. I was raised in Essex and moved to London right after…well, when I started reaping anyway."

"No shit? You're from England?" George asked me and I nodded.

"Where's your accent then?" Roxy asked.

I smiled a tight lipped smile, "I've been gone for over a century…it does fade, you know. Mason's only been gone forty years so he's still going strong. But watch…I'll slip back into it and I'll be talking like that for months after I come…back."

Mason grinned, "I'd love to hear you with a British accent, Ros. I think it'd be sexy…eh, Rube?"

Rube shot him a look and Mason chuckled before going back to eating. I smiled and leaned back in the booth, my eyes closing. This too, Der Waffle Haus was my home more than most places and I knew Kiffany would chew me out for leaving again. But, she was…off duty? Not working? Where was she? Casey was our waitress.

Roxy moved to get up, Post-It in hand and I slid out of the seat to catch up with her. I caught her arm just as she was about to open the door and she turned to look at me, "what, Rosslyn?"

"Stay away from William, okay? Don't go around him unless Rube or someone is with you…something isn't right about him, I know it. And if you need me, please call…" I handed her a slip of paper with my cell number on it.

She took it, looked at it and nodded, "yeah…thanks, Rosslyn."

I nodded and went back to the table and Rube and I waited until everyone started to file out. Daisy left first and that left George and Mason. I liked spending time with them. They were probably, aside from Rube, the closest thing I had to real friends in the world. Even though I know George was a little wary of mine and Mason's…relationship…she was a good person and I loved her dearly.

Rube scooted out of the booth to go do something and as soon as he was out of earshot I turned and looked at them, "Here's my cell number in case either of you need me while I'm gone. Something…well, something really big is going to happen and I want to make sure you guys are alright." I handed them each a piece of paper and they both looked down at the same moment as if it were a Post-It.

"What's going on, Ros?" Mason asked and I held up my hands in surrender fashion.

"I don't know. This is not exactly the time I want to be out of the country, but something big is going to happen and I need you two to do me a favor."

"What's that?" George asked.

"Keep an eye out for Roxy first of all. She's going through some tough shit and she needs help. Second…" I felt my eyes mist over and I bit at my lip for a moment before looking back up, "Make sure Rube's alright. Take…care of him while he's gone, would you? I don't…I don't know what's going to happen but I swear if something happens to him I'll never forgive myself…"

Mason and George looked at each other and my fellow brit reached out a hand and took mine, squeezing it lightly. I smiled tearfully at hm and squeezed it back. My Mason. My sweet, now-sober, loveable as fuck Mason. George too put a hand over his on top of mine and we sat there for a moment in silence, breaking our hands apart only upon seeing Rube coming back to the table.

"No problem, darling." Mason said plainly and I smiled, wiping tears away from my face.

I hate airports. I hated that airport that particular night…not only because it was cold, rainy and dreary but because of what was going on. I had exactly an hour before my flight left and Rube and I sat in his car in one of the parking lots. I puffed on a cigarette and he took a drag from his pipe, both of us blowing out smoke at the same time. You could cut the tension with a knife…but it would have had to have been a really sharp knife.

"I'll call you?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah." He answered and took another puff of his pipe.

"We'll be okay, right?" I asked.

He turned and looked at me, "what do you mean?"

"I mean…this won't kill us, will it?"

"We're already dead, Ros."

"No…you know what I mean."

He reached out and took my hand, his thumb running over my fingers. I treasured each sensation in that touch, savored it for everything it was worth. I bit back the need to lean on him, deciding it would be easier if I didn't go into a fit of hysterics right before I had to leave him.

"I…love you, you know that. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. You'll come back and we'll…be together. It's just the way it is, okay? Everyone understands that."

"Everyone?"

He smiled at me in midst of looking like he was about to break down as well, "management wouldn't have given you the opportunity to transfer back here if they didn't know. You know…your "unique circumstances'?"

"You told them?"

"I didn't have to."

"So it wasn't just a line, then? I'm really...coming back here?"

He nodded, "I got the paperwork in last night."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought it might soften the…mood if I told you now. Give you something to look forward to."

"You're an asshole, Rube."

"And that's why you love me."

I nodded and looked down at my watch. I had to go. I didn't want to go, but I had to go. I picked up my bags and Rube got out to open the door for me. Again, always the gentleman. I slid out from the seat and hefted my bags onto my shoulder. That was it, right there, the moment of truth.

He caught my chin and lifted it gently to look into my eyes, "I've never loved someone like I love you, Rosslyn L'Anders and I never will again. I don't want to see you go, but the sooner you leave the sooner you'll be back where you need to be." He said, his voice thick and I distinctly saw a glittering at the corner of his eyes.

"I love you too." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

He kissed me lightly, gently, almost like he was afraid I would break if he did anything more than that. I reveled in it, but it didn't take long for me to have my bags on the wet ground and us kissing and holding each other like we'd never see each other again. I ran my fingers through his short, dark hair and let my hand drift down the back of his neck to wrap my arms around his shoulders, his arms wrapped firmly around my waist. He held me for a long time, my head pillowed against his chest and I pressed my face into the material of his jacket.

"May it be an evening star, Shines down upon you. May it be when darkness falls, Your heart will be true. You walk a lonely road; Oh, how far you are from home..." Rube sang softly to me and I pressed myself harder against him, taking in the scent of him.

I felt his arms slide from around me and I was cold again, standing alone as he slid off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulder, enveloping me in its warmth. I smiled and he kissed me lightly again, his hand holding my chin and his gaze lingered on my eyes.

"The song..?" I started but he shook his head.

"That's your homework, my dear; figure it out while you're away."

I nodded and kissed him again, "I have to go."

He kept his eyes locked on mine for another moment then nodded, "yeah, go before I don't have the strength to let you go."

I hugged him and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "I love you, Rube."

"I love you too."


	24. Just Fine

Chapter 23: Just Fine

Mason POV

I felt myself wake up slowly and come to terms with the fact that I was warm. Very warm. Not just in the sense that I was under the covers or anything, but the fact that there was something incredibly warm, nay, hot beside me. I think I was a little disoriented because it took me a moment for my mind to realize just where in the fuck I was.

George's body was stretched out beside mine and I snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to me. It was still early: the sun wasn't even up yet and by the alarm clock beside the bed she still had another hour before she had to be up to get ready for work. If I woke her it could be potentially dangerous to my health…not to mention my manhood. And anyway she looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and her hair spilling out over the two of us. How could I stand to screw with that picture?

"Georgie?" I whispered into her ear softly, running my fingers along her flat stomach.

She stirred and a soft groan escaped her lips as those brown eyes opened and she looked sleepily up at me. She was lovely. No, she was more than lovely…she was sexy. She was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen and the fact that she was in my arms at this particular hour hadn't ceased to amaze me yet.

"Mason?" she asked in a hazy voice and turned her body into mine so she could look up at me fully.

I smiled down at her and ran a hand through her hair. It was so soft and the way it just wrapped us up in its length was so alluring, I couldn't help but touch it whenever I had the chance. That, and I knew it relaxed her when I'd mess with it so I took that opportunity as often as I could.

"I know it's early, love, I'm sorry…" I whispered and she gave me another sleepy smile before rolling over and cuddling up into me.

"What's up?" she asked and by her voice it sounded like she was waking up.

"Nothing, darling, just wanted to hear your voice is all." I answered and kissed the top of her head, letting my hands wander over her back and smiled at the shiver it gave her.

"You're an asshole, Mason." She deadpanned and I grinned. I loved it when she talked dirty to me.

RPOV

To say that I've been in a good mood this last week would be like saying I enjoy shoveling dog shit. I know, I know, it's the biggest fucking cliché in the world to hear that it felt like my world just collapsed back down to the little six foot by three foot booth in Der Waffle Haus since Rosslyn left. And in a sense my world had shrunk to that because I'd hardly been home since then. I didn't want to be there without her there and everything reminded me of her. Hell, being at Der Waffle Haus reminded me of her, but I had to be there just because it was where I had to be. No more, no less.

"Morning, everyone." I greeted the group and slid into my usual seat. Now, instead of Rosslyn's comforting warmth beside me I had the Princess herself.

"Morning…" came the muddled reply and it seemed to me that everyone looked as though they had woken up just before getting there.

I handed out the Post-Its first. I wanted to get the hell out of there and that at least gave me reason to. Roxy slid out not too long after and ever since the night with William she'd taken to spending as little time as possible in public aside from work. That asshole really had her riled up. Daisy too was acting weird. She was more withdrawn than I'd ever seen her…and she kept making the weirdest faces at Mason, which was a sight to behold. Since when did she make faces at Mason? George left soon after, complaining loudly about Delores and some project they had going on today that would have her knee deep in puissant trainees. That left Mason and I and we sat in silence, comfortably ignoring each other.

"Eh, Rube?" Mason asked.

I looked up from the paper and cocked an eyebrow at him, "what, Mason?"

"I'll um…get breakfast. S'on me today, yeah?"

"What do you want, Mason?"

"Nothing! You always buy us food when we're in a bad mood and I wanted to do the same, is that so bad?"

"_What_ do you want, Mason?"

"Nothing, I swear to fucking God, I don't want anything. I just thought after this we could, you know, talk."

"Talk?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You know, go somewhere and talk where no one else can hear us?"

"Why?"

"Do I really need a reason to want to talk to you, Rube, seriously?"

"Fine, fine. You pick up the check, I'll drive. How's that?"

"Wonderful."

OPOV

The park wasn't crowded that early in the morning so the two reapers could walk and talk without any worry about who might overhear them. The days were warming up, well, as warm as the Pacific Northwest got anyway so it was nicer to be outside when it wasn't pouring rain. Mason and Rube walked down one of the winding paths in silence until Rube finally looked over at the younger man.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Mason?" Rube asked as they took to a bench.

"I just…you don't like me, do you, Rubey?" Mason asked and gave Rube a sidelong glance.

Rube's eyebrows rose in confusion and he turned, one hand in his jacket in attempt to search for his pipe. The British reaper bit at his lip, one hand tapping madly on the back of the bench as he looked over at his boss nervously.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because you don't."

"Why do you think I don't like you?"

"Um…because you…don't?"

"You fuck up, Mason, that's why you get on my nerves. I don't mind you. Why all of this all of a sudden?"

Mason shrugged, "I don't know. Since Ros left you've been in a right state and you've been more…angry than normal."

"Ros leaving doesn't affect what I think about you guys."

Mason laughed and ran a hand through his hair, "yeah, right. You keep on thinking that."

"What? It doesn't."

"Yeah…right. I'm just saying…you don't like me and I want to change that."

"I like you fine, Mason."

"Then why are you always fucking with me, then?"

"Because…you're a fuck up?"

"I am not!"

"Look, kid, you're like a son to me. So, now that we've cleared that up is there any _real_ reason why you drug me out here?"

"Nothing! I just…wanted to; you know…talk, is all. About…you know…things."

"Well put, Mason. Seriously."

"I need to tell you something."

Rube blinked, "what exactly?"

"I'm in love with a girl."

"Daisy. I know, I got that a long time ago. I thought she wasn't interested."

"She's not…and it's not her."

"Excuse me?" Rube asked quickly, right in the middle of lighting his pipe.

"I'm not in love with Daisy. It's another girl. And I don't…want to fuck things up with her. I really am in love with her." Mason admitted and looked down at the ground.

"Have you told her you loved her?"

"I did, but…she was asleep and I don't think she heard me. She's been screwed with before and…I'm not going to be the one who screws with her again. I can't. I won't."

"That's very noble of you to think of her like that."

"So you're saying I'm a deeply sensitive soul with a kind heart toward the woman I love…and the many women I've loved?"

"Not so much, no."

"Oh…well then."

"And who is said woman?"

Mason offered a noncommittal grunt with a muffled reply and Rube grinned, leaning in to hear him better, "what's that? Come on now, son; tell dad who it is you're in love with."

"Are you fucking with me? Did you just call yourself my dad?"

Rube blinked, "who the fuck is it, Mason?"

"I…it's…you know what, _dad_? You're a real asshole."

"Who dragged who out here to talk…about…'things'?"

"It's Georgie, alright?" Mason blurted out and winced for the inevitable onslaught of doom from Rube.

"Georgia?"

Mason nodded, "yeah, mate."

Rube mulled that over for a minute or so. He'd been wondering why the two had gotten so close all of a sudden and why they seemed to be joined at the fucking hip. It was so obvious now.

"You hurt her and I'll kill you, you understand me? George has been through a lot and if you do anything to screw her over you'll be out of here faster than you could ever imagine. Not to mention the pain and suffering she'll probably inflict on you." Rube finally answered and looked over at Mason.

"You're not angry with me about it?" the brit asked, looking a little wary of his boss.

"No. Let's just say that recently I've had a change of heart on the whole…love thing."

Mason grinned, "She's got to you, hasn't she?"

"But I swear to god if you hurt her-"

"I won't, okay? Not Georgie. Never her."

Rube nodded and went back to puffing on his pipe. The two sat in silence for a while longer, staring out as more park patrons came up to enjoy the walkways with their dogs, on rollerblades, with friends, etc.

"So you and Ros, eh?" Mason finally asked.

"Yeah, Ros and I."

"Like, all official and everything? You two are finally an actual…couple?"

"Finally?"

"Oh come on now, Rube, everyone knew it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Yes. We are seeing each other, but it's more than just…dating. I love her more than anything in the world. Fuck…she _is_ my world." Rube admitted, talking more to the ground than to Mason.

"You love her that much, then?"

Rube looked up, his face completely serious, "I do."

"Which brings up a valid point. I mean, Georgie and I have talked about this…not for us, or anything, but just in general. Can reapers…you know, get married?"

Rube cocked an eyebrow, "you damn well better not have been discussing something like that with her."

"You know what I meant."

Rube nodded and was quiet for a while. He looked out at the people and his gaze paused as he caught sight of an older couple walking hand in hand down the sidewalk. He blinked and kept staring as they passed, every once in a while the woman looking up into her husband's eyes. _I'll never have that._

_Never have what?_ A familiar voice shimmered into his mind. Rosslyn. Something had changed though, in her voice. Rube smiled to himself. She'd been there less than a week and already the accent was back.

"Reapers can get married. It's rare, but it happens."

"How rare?" Mason asked, turning to look at him.

"You live for an extra sixty plus years and only talk to the same four or five people and see if you find the one and only person who fills your heart with joy."

"Point made. So…you and Ros then?"

Rube made a face, "What? No. Hell no. We're both way too old for that."

"How are you too old for that?"

Rube looked at him begrudgingly, "Mason, Ros and I are really close. And yes, she practically lives with me, but we're not…we're too set in our ways to get married."

"Yet you can't stand to live without her. I see this logic. It's blinding Rube, really, it is."

"She wouldn't marry me anyway."

Mason chuckled, "that's funny, man."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She's fucking crazy over you. You know that obviously, but…trust me on this one. If you asked, she'd accept."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because she's Ros and I love her like a sister. I know these things. Come on…dad. You love her. Marry her. Besides, I want to be the only kid on the street with a really hot stepmom!"

"That's disgusting, you realize that?"

"Yes I do. But it's the truth. Ask her." Mason got up and smoothed out his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I've got some things to do…thanks for the talk." Mason said and turned, walking away.

Rube sat on the bench for a long time, looking out at the grass. Was Mason right? Could…_would_ Rosslyn marry him? He mused on that for a long while, his mind absently reaching out to find Rosslyn's. For a moment, he felt her and it wasn't a good feeling.

_Rosslyn?_

_I'm fine._

_Where…are you hurt?_

And the connection severed and again he was left alone in his mind for the first time since Ros had come home. It made him shudder and instinctively he stood, heading out of the park and as he climbed into the truck his mind wandered. Were there any jewelry stores around this part of town?


	25. Not Quite Right III

Chapter 24: Not Quite Right III

OPOV

The door to the house slid open with a loud creak. Fucking everything was just in a bad mood or so it seemed to Mason. Rube was pissy because Rosslyn was gone, Roxy was pissy because…she's Roxy, Daisy had been acting weird for the last while, and so now it felt like George and he were the only sane ones in the bunch. Not to say Mason wasn't a little bummed because, in effect, someone that was like his older sister was gone after he'd really just gotten to know her. He loved Ros to death and not having her around was weird because in the last couple of months she'd really fit in well to their little dysfunctional dead family.

"Mason?" called a quiet voice. Daisy.

The brit turned as she pulled the door closed and tossed his leather jacket on the couch. He wasn't in the mood for her, plain and simple. He rolled those bright green eyes and raked a hand through the mussed brown curls and flopped down on the armchair in the middle of the living room.

"What?"

She strolled into the room in all her southern belle, cotillion-esque, and beauty queen glory. With a practiced quixotic look she tilted her head to one side, allowing her platinum curls to tumble over her shoulder just so. Had anyone known the fact that she went over that amorous stare one might think she was actually…looking at him. You know, making eyes and all that crap?

She sat down on the ottoman before him, just as she'd done over a month before and Mason rolled his eyes again, putting his chin in his hand and turned his face away from her. Again she put a faux sympathetic hand on his knee, he sneered, "Mason look, I just…I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what happened the other day. I'd had a couple of glasses of wine earlier that day and it just…flew out of my mouth. I had no right to say those things. I'm really sorry. Please…I had no right to say that to you and…I really want to apologize."

Mason rolled his eyes again. He could never tell when she was acting or being genuine. He hated that, but you had to hand it to the girl, she was an amazing actress. Though when it came to actually being sincere you could never tell when she was fucking around or not.

"Fucking right you had no right to say that."

She bit at her rosy lips for a moment, as if waiting for him to say something else. In her eyes, he should accept the apology without a second thought. It was what men did. Women apologize…they accept. No harm, no foul.

"I have a reap in a bit, but…after can we go talk? Please? I swear...no prodding, no nothing. I just want to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you, Daisy."

"Please, Mason? Come on…Marne's at four? Come on."

"No."

"Mason."

"No, Daisy."

"I'm spilling my heart out, here."

"I don't fucking care."

"Please?"

"No."

"Come. Come. Come. Come. Come. Come. Come. Come."

"Fine!"

"Good."

Four came and went as Daisy settled into the corner booth at the little shithole tavern Mason had frequented back when he still drank. It had a certain motif about it though…vomit and cheap blowjobs. Quaint, really. In any case she settled into the booth and took a pull out of the bottle of beer in her hand. Normally Daisy hated beer, but she was in the mood to act out a completely different part that day. So very completely different a part….

"So what do you want to talk about, Daisy?" Mason asked as he slid into the booth.

She smiled sweetly, "nothing in particular. I just…these last few months have been really hard. I wanted to really apologize. I don't know what's been wrong with me. Well, actually I think I do." She answered, looking over the neck of the bottle suggestively as she took a drink.

"Since when do you drink beer?"

"Not important."

"Okay, so why have you been acting like such a bitch, then? Hormones, Daisy darling? Is that what it is?"

It was easy to see her anger flare up in that moment, but she pushed it back down and replied with a sweet smile, "No. It's just…you know. Rube and Rosslyn, Roxy and William…" she paused and seemed to have to muster up the ability to speak, "you and George. It's hard."

"Well it's not like you haven't had your share of men too. Were you home one night at all last week or was I imagining you telling us about how you were off blowing some Microsoft bloke's rich son?"

"That's not the point and you know it. I want…someone to love me. And…I flew off the handle. You were the only guy who ever told me he loved me and meant it…and I took it for granted and now it's gone."

"Plenty of men have professed love to you and you know it."

"Not like you did. You meant it. You bought me…" her hand went to the little gold ring and she instinctively ran her fingers over the band.

"Yeah well…that was so you could have a bit of happiness. Apparently it didn't work."

"It did. I was just…I didn't realize it. I'm so sorry, Mason." She smiled the best fake smile she could manage. This would definitely work. No matter how much he cared about George or whatever the fuck it was he saw in her…probably just the fact that she was basically a virgin, he'd go back. He thought she was perfect and she'd have him trailing behind her happily for ever after.

"Yeah, you're always sorry, aren't you, Daisy."

"Mason, please. I didn't come here to get treated like this. I just want to talk-"

"No. You want to talk about why I should believe you're perfect. You're not."

"I know that."

"Then what do you want? Money? Booze? Drugs? Come on, that's all you think I'm good for, anyway, isn't it?"

"That's not true and you know it."

Mason took a long look at the bottle of beer between the two of them and picked it up, holding the bottle precariously close to his lips and waggled his eyebrows, "Do you want to be the one who makes me go back, Daisy? Do you? Because this shit is getting really old."

"Do it. Come on, I won't let you do anything stupid. You know that." She lied. She was fully aware that if he started drinking no he'd be in a nice little drunk coma before night even fell. And she was counting on that.

"Yeah fucking right. I quit all this shit for a reason."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"You know what."

"Georgia? Oh come on…one beer won't kill you. And as god as my witness I won't let you do anything stupid. As a friend, Mason…just have a drink with me."

"How about I watch you drink and I'll just sit here and look pretty."

"Suit yourself..." Daisy murmured and took a long drink form her beer.

Mason watched her for a minute, the tip of his tongue resting on his lower lip. Daisy leaned her head against the wall, her eyes closed as her hand wrapped around the bottle. After they'd sat in silence for a while Mason picked the bottle up out of her hand and put it to his lips, _well, there goes that._

"That's the spirit." Daisy said as she opened her brilliant sapphire eyes and smiled at him. Yep, he was hers alright.

"Fuck you, Daisy. Now what do you want to talk to me about?"

She shrugged and plucked the bottle out of his hand and drank the last of it. They sat again in silence until Mason got up and bought her another beer plus a shot for him. Daisy drank hers quietly while Mason stared down at the little glass filled with clear liquid in front of him. He was trying to see who'd break fist, him or that stupid little glass of tequila. It was winning.

"I told you…I'm just in a really crappy mood lately with all you lovebirds around. I mean, look at Rube and Rosslyn. They've known each other for almost what? Sixty years? More than that? And they're just now realizing the fact that they're in love with each other? What hope does that give me?"

"You never stay around long enough after the guy comes to find out if you care about 'im or not. Besides, Rube and Rosslyn have had experiences together. Big experiences together. It's not their fault they're blind and can't tell what everyone else has been saying for years. I think they just don't want to believe it. I mean, I talked to Rube earlier and I mentioned the fact that he and Ros should get married and he practically laughed it off saying that they were too set in their ways to think of such a thing."

"Maybe they are."

"The fuck are you going on about? Of course they should get married! Have you seen him lately? All depressed and bitchy and the like…now think back to when she was here and everything was better. Yeah, I think they should tie the knot. "

"Maybe he doesn't love her the way he thinks he does." Daisy shot back, glaring out over the beer in her hand.

Mason couldn't take it anymore and took the shot. It burned so beautifully down the back of his throat that he hardly thought of the fact that he was going against everything he'd promised for the last couple of months. Everything he promised to himself, Rube, Ros…and George. After the burn dissipated he looked over at his blonde partner and narrowed his eyes.

"What's all this obsession, then? I thought all you cared about was the sex…and what you got out of having sex?"

She tossed a strand of hair over her shoulders in a playful fashion and stared evenly at him, "sex is a wonderful thing, and yes I love the fact that I can get almost anything from having sex with people. Though, I must say I'd like to have someone love me for more than just the having sex." then leaned forward toward the table, one of her hands grabbing at his knee.

Mason slid out of her grasp and she grinned, "I'm just kidding."

"Sure you are."

She got up and bought the next round of drinks, handing Mason a glass of whiskey and smiled, "So, how long have you and Georgia been…dating?" it was difficult for her to even say that last word. Her Mason and…Georgia? It was still hard to swallow.

"Not long enough, it seems. I could be with that girl forever if I had the chance…" Mason mused, inadvertently taking a swig of the whiskey and winced as it went down.

_Not if I have anything to do with it._ Daisy smiled, "that's really great. I'm glad you two could find someone to connect with. I mean, after that whole Tripp guy thing…Georgia deserves someone who'll not hurt her. I mean, to see her that upset again would just be…horrific."

Mason looked up at her and for a moment she thought he was on to her, "I'd never hurt George. Never."

Daisy smiled again. _Well, sadly that's just one of us._ Mason polished off the last bit of the whiskery and looked over at her. He could feel himself getting a little more loose, but nowhere near what he used to be like at any given time. Thank god for that undead metabolism.

"I never said you would. The fact that you won't shows a great deal of maturity, Mason. Then again, after the whole ring issue…I knew you were mature anyway. Who else would have done something like that for a girl?"

He narrowed those sparkling green eyes and bit at his lip, "Yeah well…another round, then?" If he was going to fuck up tonight…he was going to do it in style.

_Amen to that._ Daisy grinned, "of course."

MPOV

I honestly couldn't tell you what happened that night. I remember lots of booze…laughing…music. I remember all of the bar, for the most part. I just don't remember going home. I knew I _was_ home, but how I got there was a mystery. If I drove, I don't remember it. And I didn't have a Post-It so nobody died. That was good, at the very least. The last thing I could even possibly tell you was that we left the bar and I was…who am I kidding, I was shitfaced to fucking hell.

I had a really weird dream though. Not as in…you know, riding on the back of a frog over a river of lava weird, but…weird for me. Daisy and I…we…fucked. It wasn't even sex. It was just…the two of us…possibly drunk in the dream or something; I don't even know. We fucked and it was…in theory it was amazing. Had I not been dreaming and shitfaced to fuck it would have been amazing. But it wasn't amazing.

OPOV

Daisy pushed open the door to the house, Mason stumbling in behind her. She was pretty tipsy and he was back to being as horribly shitfaced as he ever was in the past. They were laughing. Hard. It was late and they had to try and be quiet for George's sake. They had left Marne's at eight and gone out to a club after that and danced. Mason was a horrible dancer Daisy found out, but it was worth it all because by the end of the night, he'd be hers.

"We have to be quiet; I don't want to wake up Georgie." Mason half whispered to a giggling Daisy.

"Then I suggest not going in there and waking her up then." Daisy answered, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket.

Mason stopped and seemed to think about that for a minute, his face screwed up whilst looking at his blonde flat mate, "I can't. That's my room too. And...We've always slept together."

Daisy made a sympathetic face toward him and rested the hand that was tugging his sleeve on his sleeve on his arm, "I just don't want her to get upset with you. Why don't you come room with me tonight?"

"No, Daisy…I can't."

_Oh that's IT._ She rolled her eyes and turned into Mason. He looked over at her with a slightly pathetic look and she grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him in to kiss him. They kissed for as long as she held him there, their lips locked together, tight and slightly uncomfortable. He didn't fight her, exactly, but it wasn't the kiss of his…not to mention her, dreams.

"Come on, Mason…" she cooed into his ear and brushed her lips over his throat.

"Daisy, I can't…" he murmured and she kissed him again, lighter and more sweetly this time. That was the ticket right there.

He slid his arms around her waist, the booze making his blood pump. Maybe he envisioned George in his arms instead, maybe he was so far gone that it didn't matter who he was kissing. But to Daisy, she didn't care. Finally she had what she wanted.

"Mason…" she whispered in a lilting sing-song voice.

He grinned and let her lead him on, his vision already gone for the most part. The platinum turned into a dirty blonde that, upon falling into the soft sheets, he ran through his fingers lovingly before he kissed her. Hands splayed out over bodies and as their kissing heated clothes started being pulled off in a slow, seductive manner.

Daisy ran her long fingers across his back, gently moving over his spine and she delighted in seeing the shiver that covered him. Mason leaned down and kissed her lightly pulling her close. _This is what it's like when you're in love…_ Daisy mused quietly as she ruffled Mason's hair in a very George-esque way. He was a gorgeous guy. But…something was still wrong.

Mason kissed her throat, letting his hands move over her shoulders as his fingers skimmed over her stomach. This was it. This was the best it could ever be. He loved her and when they woke up in the morning he'd see that. But why wasn't she so sure? Would this just be another one night stand? No, not this time.

As Mason took a deep breath and leaned down over her, his body shining in the moonlight with that thin layer of perspiration, he kissed her deeply. He felt amazingly good. And he was happy that he couldn't tell if he was drunk anymore. Daisy smiled and skimmed a hand down his bare chest to his stomach, letting her fingers curl in the soft trail of hair at the base of his abs.

"You alright, darling?" Mason asked, his voice soft and genuine as he lay down beside her and she curled into him.

"Fine. Just fine." Daisy answered, resting her head on his shoulder and shivered a bit as his hand slid over her hips.

They fell asleep that way, Daisy all curled up seductively in Mason's drunken embraces. They smiled in their sleep, A satisfied grin on Daisy's face and a slight twitch of a smile on Mason's lips as they drifted off. In the morning they would both wake up to the sight of one another and every fight and every unkind word would be replaced with happiness and love. That was the way it was supposed to be, wasn't it?

GPOV

When I woke up in the morning I instinctively reached out to pull the lanky body that normally shared the bed with me closer. To my increasingly less groggy surprise I found that there was no one there, and that no one had been there all night. Had I really slept alone for the first time in months? Had Mason really not come up to bed? What was up? Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I slid out of the room and went downstairs hoping to find him passed out in front of the TV from the night before. Not a chance in hell, it would seem. If he were home he would have come up to bed…wouldn't he? The kitchen and living room were empty, the dining room and den too. Hell, even the bathrooms were empty so that meant Daisy wasn't even up yet.

_Daisy._ I looked toward the hallway to her room. It was dark and the door was shut. She must have gotten in really late last night because I didn't even hear her. Had she seen Mason? Had she…done something to Mason? Christ, he could be locked in a cell somewhere because of her stupid ass.

I slowly turned the doorknob to her room and waited for the inevitable creak that would follow as per normal of all the doors in the house. It was blessedly silent. Maybe she was awake, but just laying around. The room was completely dark save for the window covered in grey, gauzy curtains that cast a dim glow over most of the room. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was put away just the way she liked it. Until I saw the bed.

Mason rest on his back just as he had every time with me in the morning and Daisy was curled up at his side, head pillowed on his chest. I was speechless and thank god because if I could have talked or made a noise of any kind I probably would have started screaming. I stared for a long time, my mouth gaping open and it wasn't until I went to manually put my jaw back did I realize tears were rolling down my face.

_No…anything but this. How could she? How could HE? What did I do? What…fuck me._ I turned and left, making sure to leave the door wide open as I made my way back up to the room. Suddenly I didn't feel like being awake anymore. As I slid into bed I shoved a pillow over my face just to drown out the sounds of my crying from my own ears. Fucked over again. Was this going to become a trend? Every guy I ever care about is going to leave me for something else? Would that be the way it was going to be?

I picked up the phone and punched in Happy Time's number then Delores' extension. No one would be there aside from Crystal and I didn't feel like having to talk to a normal human so I just left a message saying that there were some personal issues happening and I needed the day off. Delores would probably call when she got in to find out what aforementioned issues were, but I'd just ignore it and lie about it tomorrow. I couldn't…there was no way I'd be able to work.

I laid there for a long time, staring up at the ceiling mulling over everything in my head. Things had been going so well, I thought. Mason and I were happy…and if not happy then at least something close to normal. I thought we were good for each other. What the fuck went wrong? What happened? What…_what did I do? Why would he…do that?_ I felt the tears coming in full waves this time and I tried pushing them back. There was no need to cry over some douchebag who'd leave me for the proverbial town whore. But I started sobbing uncontrollably anyway.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" I yelled into the pillow and pounded on the bed with my fist until I was sure something would pop loose if I did it anymore.

I was shaking and if I had tried to stand up I don't think I would have made it. Nothing was as bad as this was. Not my parents' divorce, not JD dying, not my death, not Betty's leaving, not even when Tripp fucked me over just like this…this was worse than anything. _But why?_ Shit…I was in love with Mason.

I sat up and wiped at my eyes, sniffling loudly as I haphazardly got dressed and tied my hair into a knot at the top of my head. Fuck, I was depressed and I didn't care how I looked at that moment. And sadly I was slightly wishing one of them had woken up so they'd see me and know I knew. But when I went downstairs it was as quiet and still as it ever was.

By the time I made it to Rube's apartment building I had no fucking clue what I was going to tell him. Did I tell him Mason and I had been together? Did I tell him Daisy and him had sex more than likely and I was pissed not to mention hurt about it? Did I tell him…anything? What was he going to do? Yell at them? Would that change things? Fuck no, it wouldn't change anything. And it probably wouldn't make me feel better anyway. I mean, Rube's a scary guy and all but whatever lame lecture he could come up with wouldn't inspire the hurt in them that I was feeling now. Nothing and no one would make this go away and all I wanted was to wake up and it never have happened…or at least wake up and me not have known about it.

I pushed the buzzer outside his apartment and leaned on the doorframe. I was still crying and sniffling and no doubt he would be asleep and pissed I woke him up…crying no less. He'd pull the paternal thing and I'd end up crying on him for a good ten minutes or so then he'd offer some ancient pearl of wisdom that was supposed to make me feel better and I'd go back to sobbing my heart out on the bed at home. No, not this time.

"George?" he asked and I hadn't even noticed he'd opened the door.

"Does Rosslyn keep her phone on all the time?" I blurted out, not realizing what I was saying.

He moved out of the way and I went in, wiping my eyes. I was exhausted already from crying and I'd only been awake less than an hour. I just wanted to go to bed and pretend it was all a dream…a really bad, fucked up dream.

"The fuck happened to you? Are you okay?" Rube asked and gave me the concerned face.

"I just…look, does she keep it on or not?" I asked. Rosslyn would help. She was all…in tune with stuff. She'd know what to do; plus, she was a woman and I needed another girl's advice.

"Of course she does, but what the fuck happened to you? What's wrong?"

I shook my head and sniffled loudly, "can I have her number, please? She gave it to me, but I lost it."

"What do you need to talk to Rosslyn for?" Rube asked, his eyebrows gathering.

"I just need to, okay? Woman stuff."

"Uh huh….right…" Rube answered and went to his desk. He wrote something down on a Post-It and handed it to me. No, it wasn't a reap, but Rosslyn's number and I looked at it for a moment before putting it in my pocket.

"Thanks." I mumbled, feeling another wave of sobbing about to hit me as I saw the image of Mason and Daisy in bed together for had to have been the millionth time since I'd left the house.

"Something…bad?" Rube asked, his arm going around my shoulders and I leaned into him as a child would to their dad.

"The worst." I hiccupped and he hugged me, hands running over my back. Rosslyn really had gotten to him…and I wasn't complaining.

"I have to go…thanks, Rube."

"You have the day off, Peanut. Go do whatever you need to do, okay?" Rube called after me as I went to the door.

"Thanks."

The minute I got outside I pulled out my cell phone. I had no fucking clue if I could call that far long distance but I needed someone who would listen to me. I pulled out the Post-It Rube had given me as well and carefully dialed in midst of trying to keep my vision from tearing up as I pressed the number into the keypad of my phone. It rang three times and my heart sank, thinking she wouldn't answer but a slightly hesitant voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Rosslyn…" I started, my voice shaky and I leaned against the nearest building I could find and sank down to huddle against the base of it, my knees pulled up and my face buried into them with the phone pressed to my ear.

"George? What's wrong? What's going on? Are you okay?" Rosslyn asked, and I noticed vaguely that the British lilt had softened her speech and I was immediately reminded of Mason which made me start to sob.

"I…woke up and…I saw them together. I thought he hated her and oh my god, Rosslyn I don't know what happened. They were in bed…I think the slept together. What did I do? I don't know what's going on… I just thought he was…" it all came out jumbled and wreaked with my sobbing. I could only hope she got out what I said because I couldn't repeat it.

"Calm down, Georgia. Just calm down, alright? Tell me what happened." She said in a calm, but firm voice and I heard the slight twinge as though she were in pain.

"I…I woke up this morning and I found…I found..." I started to cry again, my forehead pillowed on my free hand and I realized I probably looked like a fucking idiot crying out on the street like I was.

"What did you find?"

"Mason…and Daisy."

"What? Doing what? It's okay, take all the time you need."

I took an extremely shaky breath and let it out, "No, it's not okay. They were in her bed together and I'm willing to bed they had sex."

There was a long pause and if I could have seen her face I'm pretty sure it would have held the 'holy what the fuck?' look. I think I could actually hear her jaw hanging from her face.

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not."

"Okay, listen to me, honey. Just don't let this get to you, okay? I'm sure it's…not as bad as it looks. Talk to Mason. He wouldn't lie to you and if he says they didn't do anything then believe him."

"They were in bed naked together. How should I take it when he explains that one?"

"You have every right to be really hurt and angry, but you need to get the facts first. Talk to him, okay?"

"What about Daisy?"

Another pause, "throw her sorry ass out."

"Ha, can do."

MPOV

I woke up and pulled the body close to me even closer. I loved the feeling of having her pressed up against me so early in the morning before she had to get ready for work. I loved the feel of her warmth and the look I got when those brown eyes opened and the first thing she'd see was me. I loved it. I loved her.

When my eyes opened they weren't met with the beloved brown ones I'd become so accustomed to. Instead I looked into a pair of deep blue ones and I swear to god I almost shit my pants.

"Daisy?" I spat and jumped up, practically tossing her out of my arms and when I looked down I realized that the crazy, fucked up sex dream hadn't been a dream at all.

"Morning, honey." She smiled and stretched lazily.

"What…oh my fucking god, what happened?" I asked. I must have been fucking plowed to not remember anything.

"You don't remember? I'm hurt." She mock pouted and slithered, that's right slithered, out of bed and lifted a hand to touch me.

I batted it away, "don't you fucking touch me! What the hell happened lat night, Daisy? Why am I here and why…am I naked?"

She looked honestly scared and angry in that instant, "We made love like I never have before! You told me you loved me and that we were going to work things out! What's the matter with you? Don't you remember that?"

I blinked. There was no fucking way in hell I could ever have done that. I didn't love her. Hell, I didn't even LIKE her. I took a few shaky steps back and leaned on the wall before I made a face at her looking at me and grabbed the jeans I had worn from the night before off the floor and pulled them on. I racked my brain trying to remember anything about the night before, but I couldn't pull up anything after we left the bar.

"You got me…you did this." I whispered and looked up at her.

"You didn't say that last night." She hissed and I reached over and grabbed her, pulling her to me by her wrist and glared down into her eyes.

"I have NEVER hit a woman, but you deserve it like all hell right now, Daisy Adair. You are so fucking immature and selfish and God forbid someone doesn't love you. You had better hope to God George hasn't found out about this or I swear I will do something that I'd NEVER do." I hissed into her face and gently pushed her so she landed on the bed and stalked out of the room.

"How could you say you loved me, Mason? You don't care about anything!" she called down to me, but I was already halfway up the stairs and praying George was still asleep in bed.

To my utter horror she wasn't. It was too early for her to have gone to Der Waffle Haus and way too early for her to be at work. She didn't jog or any of that shit in the morning so the only other option was that she just up and left. _Fuck me._

I pulled on a new set of clothes and headed for downstairs, raking my hand through my hair to give it some semblance of non sex hair. As I reached for the doorknob I saw Daisy coming toward the living room wrapped in her robe and she looked at me, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"Don't pull that shit, Daisy. I don't love you and I never will. Get over it, okay?"

"Mason…" she reached out a hand and I shook my head, opening the door and leaving.

GPOV

I got to the house about an hour or so after I'd left. After I had gotten off the phone with an apparently injured Rosslyn I sat on the street and tried to muster up the ability to get up and go home. I couldn't quite bring myself to do it until I sat there and had a conversation about the fact that it was probably not what it looked like. But it looked fucking horrible so not being what it looked like still meant bad. And in case you're confused you should really consult Webster's on the meaning of the word 'bad'.

When I opened the door I cast a cautious glance around the room. It was empty. Shit, they were probably still in bed if I knew Daisy well enough. I didn't want to bother going to look so I headed for the stairs with the idea of a hot bath in mind.

As I clambered up the stairs heard a noise from across the hall from my room and I saw Daisy, still wrapped in her bathrobe, walk out of the guest room. She looked horrible. She was crying and the minute our eyes locked I could feel a rage boiling up inside of me and I had to fight down the urge to tackle and beat the ever loving shit out of her on the spot.

"Where's Mason?" I asked in a cold voice.

She shook her head, "I don't know."

"Bullshit."

"I honestly don't. He blew out of here about half an hour ago."

"What…" I bit back the need to just scream until my throat was raw, "happened last night between you two?"

She shut her eyes for a moment, "we…slept together."

I felt tears burning behind my eyes and I plopped down on the stairs and took a few breaths before glaring up at my blonde roommate, "WHY?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. I thought…he was still in love with me and we went out and…we had a few drinks…"

"He was drinking again?" I was…there are no words for what I was. I was anxious and exasperated and shocked and angry and everything else that falls into that category.

"I…yeah, he was."

"Did you get him to drink?"

"I didn't do anything, Georgia. Everything he did…"she paused, looking like she was trying to gain the courage to say what she was going to say, "was of his own free will, okay?"

"You bitch."

She blinked and I scrambled up and pushed her against the wall, "How dare you do that! How dare you say that! You did it to him and I know you did! Get out! Get the fuck out of this house! I never want to see you in here ever again!"

"But Georgia-"

"Get out, Daisy! Get Out! Get Out! Get Out! GET OUT!"

She pulled away from me and scrambled down the stairs as I sank against the wall and started to cry like I'd never done before in my life…or afterlife. I cried for a long time and barely heard the sound of the front door shutting. I never wanted to see her again and I wanted Rube to transfer her…I wanted her to die. I wanted him to die. I wanted to die.

OPOV

Mason slipped quietly into the house. George was home, he could feel it. Daisy wasn't, he could feel that too. Well, there were no signs of dead bodies on the ground so he assumed Daisy was just gone. It was still early and he only had somewhere around forty minutes before they all had to be at Der Waffle Haus for their morning assignments. He had to find her.

He made his way upstairs and stopped when he heard the soft sounds of someone crying. George. His George. He bit on the knuckle of one of his hands in attempt to not cry himself, leaning on the railway of the stairs. God, how could he have done that? How could he not remember doing it? What the fuck was he going to say to her?

He knocked softly and the crying abruptly stopped and was replaced by soft sniffling, "what?" George asked, her voice shaking and thick with tears.

"Georgie?" he asked quietly, half hoping she wouldn't hear him.

"Go away."

"Georgie…" he started, a little louder and pressed his palms against the door.

"I said go away!"

"Please…let me try and…god, what can I possibly say that'll do anything?" Mason mused out loud and leaned on the door.

"Nothing. Now go."

Mason pushed open the door and saw George huddled on her side of the bed, a pillow crushed to her chest and her face red, puffy and sad. It twisted Mason's heart like nothing ever had. He felt tears of his own gathering and he leaned in the doorway, their eyes locked on each other.

"I…I'm sorry." He finally said, complete submission in his voice.

"You're sorry…like that means anything, Mason." She angrily chuckled and wiped at her eyes.

"I…can't even tell you, George, I can't. I don't…know what happened last night, okay?"

"I do. You fucked Daisy."

He winced and shut his eyes, tears starting to roll down his face, "I know that. I don't know how it happened, though and I swear to you that it wouldn't have happened if I did know-"

"You were fucking drunk, Mason, don't even try to lie to me! You said you'd give it up and you lied! You lied to me and everyone else! How in the fuck do you think that makes me feel? And with _Daisy?_ Come on, Mason! I know you're still lusting after her at the very least!"

"Georgie, please. I didn't mean to do it! She got me fucking piss drunk, okay?"

"You could have said 'no, I'm sober now thanks' remember? It's not like she held you down and poured it down your throat or anything, right?" She tossed at him sarcastically and he turned his head away from her as though he'd been hit.

"I know. And I don't deserve you talking to me. I'm an idiot and I'm nothing. I'm the lowest of the low (1)." Mason said quietly, biting at his lip.

"Get out, Mason." George ordered softly, turning her gaze away from him.

"I can't ever tell you how sorry I am, but Georgie I am so sorry. I…I'm a callus, idiotic wanker who doesn't deserve to be in your presence-"

"Please, Mason. Just go away." George ordered again and lay down, pulling the covers over her head.

"Of course, Georgie…" Mason conceded and left the room.

Der Waffle Haus was a somber place. Daisy didn't look at anyone, Roxy had been quiet since the William issue, Rube was still trying to figure out what happened to George that morning, Mason looked like someone had just kicked his puppy and George was nowhere to be found. Kiffany looked around at her normally somewhat animated group and put down the pot of coffee she held in her hand.

"What happened to all of you?"

No one said anything and she shook her head, filled their mugs with coffee and left the table. They were all silent for a long time before Rube finally couldn't take anymore and pulled his day planner open and started to stick the day's Post-Its in front of his "merry" reapers.

"One for each of you. Now get out of here before you cause a baby to cry or something. Except you, Mason. I want to talk to you." Rube ordered and everyone cleared out except for Mason who just sat there.

"So what happened?" Rube finally asked after everyone had finally left.

"What do you mean what happened?" Mason asked sullenly.

"I mean why in the fuck was Georgia at my door at five thirty this morning crying?"

"I don't know, Rube, why don't you ask her."

"I told you that if you hurt her I'd do something you'd regret. You promised you wouldn't hurt her."

Mason glared up at his boss, "I didn't fucking hurt her! I mean…I did, but I…fucking Christ, Rube I fucked up so bad. I don't even know what happened, I swear to you."

"What happened?"

Mason told him and Rube sat there with wide eyes. There was no way in hell Mason could screw up that badly, especially since he loved Georgia. Well, he couldn't fuck up that badly if he loved her as much as he claimed to and by the look on his face he wasn't dicking around.

"So I suggest you fix this." Rube answered in reply to…everything Mason had said.

"Oh really? And how would you like me to do that?" Mason asked angrily, flicking a sugar packet off the table.

"Talk to her. Hell, talk to Ros. I think that's what Georgia did when she came clamoring up asking for her number this morning."

"Bloody hell, now Ros knows I'm the biggest prat in the world? Great."

"Just go, okay? Fix it before I have to do something about this."

Mason nodded, "fine." and slid out of the booth.

(1): "I'm the lowest of the low" is actually a line from Callum Blue's character Mark Wilde on the British show As If. I thought it was rather fitting here so I yanked it.


	26. Fall To Pieces

Chapter 25: Fall to Pieces

OPOV

Hazel eyes fluttered open in the dim light of the evening. Rosslyn couldn't sleep. She didn't know why she couldn't sleep, but she couldn't sleep. It probably had something to do with the one reap per day for the last five or so days, but there wasn't any real evidence of that save for the horrendous bruises and other miscellaneous things that covered her aching body. One hand pulled the white sheet over her head with the attempt at trying to go to sleep. No such luck.

"Fuck me…" Rosslyn groaned and sat up, running her fingers through the strands of auburn hair that had escaped the long braid.

It was still really early in the evening and the day had been rough. _It could have been worse…I'm not still bleeding at any rate…_ she sighed and undid the braid before laying back down. Finally she felt the warm arms of sleep tugging at her and she hoped it wasn't some random deity fucking with her head. As she drifted off her mind wandered, as it always did, to Rube and the others. Something was wrong, what exactly was still undecided but there was definitely some wrong afoot.

ROPOV

I opened my eyes to a room I'd never seen before. It was small, open, and cozy. I couldn't help but smile as I sat up from the…bed, apparently and looked around. Everything was in a slightly grey haze so I knew I was dreaming. But at least there wasn't any blood or gore to contend with. Well, any blood or gore yet, anyway.

A sound caught my ear as I smoothed a strand of hair away from my face. Laughter? It wasn't anyone I recognized. I froze. _Please don't tell me I'm going to have to reap a kid even in my own dreams. Not even I'M that depressed._ I sighed and got up. I was in a very strange night gown. I never wore lace to bed. Hell, if it was avoidable I never really wore anything more than one of Rube's shirts to sleep in. So what in the fresh hell was this?

It was cold in the room and I wrapped an arm around myself as I stood. Everything seemed kind of gauzy and unreal as I moved about, trying to follow the laughter. It was everywhere almost and no matter what way I turned it followed and led me to wherever it wanted me to go. My head started to hurt and I lifted a hand to my face, but stopped as I caught sight of my fingers. Well, that's not entirely true; something shiny on my hand caught my attention. A small ring of gold was wrapped around a certain finger on my left hand and I stood there gawking at it. _What the fuck?_

"Rosslyn?" a very familiar voice asked and I whirled around to se Rube, the very same Rube I'd come to love and cherish standing there looking at me as though nothing were intensely weird about the situation. Then again, it was a dream so of course things would be intensely weird.

"Do you hear it?" I asked him and he walked over to me, pressing a hand to my forehead.

"Hear what? You're still warm, Ros, you should go and lie back down." He said gently to me and I closed my eyes. Even if it was a dream it was the same as every time he'd ever touched me.

"The laughing…it sounds like a child…" I tried to explain, but suddenly felt dizzy and leaned on him.

"Of course it sounds like a child, babe. It's Rosie." Rube answered and I froze, my eyes fluttering open against the oncoming migraine and blinked a few times.

"No. Rosie is yours and Lucy's daughter. She's dead remember? So is Lucy…and where are we?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose with one of my hands.

I felt him wrap his arms around me and a kiss pressed to the top of my head, "I know you've had a really high fever, but that's a little much don't you think?"

"What?"

"Rosie….is our daughter? She's six? I don't know anyone named Lucy…and why would we have had a child together?" Rube asked, running his hands over my back as I pressed my face into the strong wall of his chest.

"No…that's not right…" I tried to reason, but I was led to sit on the bed I'd just gotten up from.

Suddenly I saw the source of laughter. A little girl or about six came skipping into the house, but Rube shushed her laughing as she came close to the bed. She smiled and went to Rube's side, him running a hand over her curls as she leaned against his leg. I blinked a few times; she was beautiful. She didn't look a thing like the Rosie I'd seen in pictures though, but somehow she was so familiar to me.

"Are you feeling better, mommy?" she asked and it took me a moment to realize she was talking to me.

"I…mommy…yes, I am. I'm still a little dizzy, but I feel better…honey." I smiled and she sat down at my side.

The little girl leaned over and hugged me. God, it was so familiar but alarm rose up in my stomach like I was going to throw up. Something was so wrong with this. I looked to Rube who smiled a paternal grin as he looked out at us.

"Rosie, go get washed up for dinner. I want to talk to mommy for a little while." He told her and she smiled, skipping off to what I assumed was the bathroom.

"Mommy…that's impossible. I…I died before I had any kids…and you and I! We're not even…we haven't even slept together!" I hissed, but looked down at the band around my left ring finger and felt a wave of happiness wash over me.

"You've had a really bad fever, Rosslyn. You've been muttering about being dead…I, we…we were really worried about you. The doctors said that if your fever didn't break you might not…come out of it." Rube sat down beside me and slid his hand into mine.

Holy crap. What if it really was all a dream? What if the whole…reaper and death thing was part of some stupid fever? What if Rube and I really were married and we had…_a daughter._ I bit on my lip, tears gathering in my eyes. No, it wasn't possible.

"No, this is the dream. I'm sorry…" I whispered and turned to him, fighting the urge to start sobbing as I squeezed his hand and shut my eyes.

When I came awake I was crying. I was back in the flat Management had put me up in with the same dank ceilings and cold air. My heart hurt. God, what fucked up fate was screwing with me after so much already? I was already laying there bleeding and reeling from having been bleeding pretty damn badly for the last week and now I was having dreams that would probably steal what little sanity I had left. My eyes moved to look down at my left hand: it was depressingly bare.

_If only._ I wiped at my eyes and looked at the clock. It was disgustingly early yet and I had only been asleep for a little over two hours. All of that in only two hours…god, maybe if I hadn't woken myself up it could have been true. Maybe I'd have lost enough blood to be lost in that dream forever. But no…I'd screw up something and come back to a reality where nothing seemed to make sense or be fair at all.

I flopped back down to the bed, wincing a bit as my back hit the lumpy mattress. I guess those bruises were still there, damn it. I thought the whole…sleep and rest thing was supposed to be healing for the normal population who was, you know, human. Then again, death kind of takes the mortality and, depending on whom you talk to, the human aspect out of our existence. I'd have to milk whatever sleep I could get for everything it was worth.

I closed my eyes again, tried to slow my breathing, and prayed that a dreamless sleep would pop up any moment. I must have stayed like that for a good ten minutes or so before I felt the tug of fatigue at my mind. I was so exhausted and the dream really hadn't helped that. Now, I was tired and depressed beyond reasonable knowledge…great.

I was in Der Waffle Haus. Well, at least it was a semi-normal atmosphere this time. Everything seemed normal, well as normal as dreams got anyway. People bustled about and it smelled like maple syrup, bacon and coffee…I couldn't have asked for a more home-reminiscent dream. I smiled and made my way over to our normal booth, but stopped when I saw the faces there.

I saw George and Mason curled up together, both of them crying. I saw Roxy with her face down toward the table with tears rolling down her face. I even saw Daisy looking like she might sniffle a bit. Then I saw Rube. He looked fucking hysterical. I saw Penny as well; she was talking to him and he was wildly shaking his head. I tried to hear what they were saying, but apparently four feet was still too far away to be within earshot of what was going on.

"There's nothing you could have done! She didn't tell you because she didn't want you guys getting hurt!" Penny hissed and Rube pushed her away, reaching for his jacket.

"I'm going to go find her." He calmly said and went to go for his keys, but Penny stopped him.

"You know you won't."

He glared at her, "She's NOT dead, Penny."

I blinked. Just who was dead exactly? Weren't we all…dead? I mean, unless someone actually, you know, passed on or something. That was a reaper's equivalent to death, I suppose. I looked around and spun a circle as I walked up, trying to see if I was invisible.

"Who's not dead?" I asked and they all looked up. Every single one of them had a shocked/horrified/semi-relieved look on their face. George's mouth fell open and I saw her clutching Mason's hand tighter than anything I'd ever seen. Roxy too looked up and as Daisy made a move to get up she grabbed her arm. I blinked and took a step forward, looking at Rube and Penny.

"What?" I asked.

"Y-you're…alive?" Penny asked and I took another step.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"How could you come in here like that? How can you even walk?" she asked, one hand going out to touch me and as her fingers touched my shoulder I was enveloped in mass amounts of pain.

I lifted my hands to cover my face from them but stopped and stared, mouth open and gasping for air as I stared at my palms. They were crimson with blood and as I looked down so was the rest of me. Deep holes in my stomach were bleeding down the front of me and my chest was ripped open in several places.

"What? What?" I asked, my voice coming out in a whisper as I fell to my knees, hands groping at my throat to try and get air into my lungs. Every breath was filled with liquid and hurt like hell to even consider taking in.

"Oh my god, Ros!" Rube shouted and was on the ground beside me, holding me up in his arms and as I turned to him I saw a smear on his cheek of blood. My blood.

"I'm dying…" I whispered as Penny tried to put a hand over the hole in stomach to stop the bleeding but it was no use. I could feel my strength draining out of me.

"No, no you're not! Stay with me…Stay with me!" Rube yelled but his voice was far away.

"Dying…" I sighed.

I bolted upright and coughed a few times. My chest was heavy and I leaned over the side of the bed to try and open up my airways but as I leaned over I gagged and blood came up. My blood. It splattered on the wooden floor and I stared at it from above. I suddenly felt violently ill.

_Rube…_ I took a shaky breath and slid the long way out of bed to get a towel to wipe it up. It had to have been something residual from my last reap; I'd gotten slammed in the chest a few times. Yeah, that had to be it.

As I wiped up the mess I looked at my phone. It hadn't rung all night and that was typically a bad sign. I'd been there all of five days and Rube had called every night to make sure everything was alright. There hadn't been a day so far that we hadn't talked and it made me nervous. Maybe that would account for the weird dreams.

I picked up my phone after I tossed the towel in the trash and dialed his number. It rang once, twice, three times and my heart started to pound. If it was me calling he usually answered after the first ring. I bit at my lip as it rang another few times then I slammed the phone shut. Something was definitely wrong.

I stared off into my comforter for a long time trying to decide what exactly was going on. Had something happened with Rube? Was Roxy in trouble? Did I miss quite possibly the one most important thing that I could have done while I was there? I sighed and sat down, raking my hands through my hair.

The phone buzzed next to and I jumped as it brushed my thigh. I glared down at it and opened it to see the screen. Rube. Thank God. I closed my eyes for a moment then hit the button to answer in hopes that I didn't sound too distressed.

"Hey." I answered and leaned back on my arm.

"You okay?" Rube asked and the minute I heard his voice I was immediately soothed, but some traces of that dream still lingered in me.

"I'm fine. I just…hadn't heard from you is all. I was about to go to bed and wanted to say good night."

"What happened? You sound, I don't know, out of it."

"I had some weird dreams while I was napping earlier. I'm fine now."

"What kind of dreams?" he asked and I felt a deliberate tug meant to keep me on the phone.

I sighed and moved to lean against the headboard, leaning my forehead on my knees, "One was…surreal." I started and I heard him chuckle.

"They're dreams, they're supposed to be surreal." He laughed and I found myself smiling.

"No, this was different. I was…I don't know. I was in a house and I think I had been sick. There was laughing and…" I let my voice trail off. He wouldn't want to hear this.

"Laughing and what?"

I took a breath and let it out slowly, "We…you and I. There was a house, and I think, no I know, we were…married." I paused, waiting to see what he'd say.

"And?"

I blinked. I wasn't planning on that answer, "I…heard laughing. A little girl laughing. I looked around and found you…you said I was sick and that I had been talking in my sleep about death and that it had all been a dream. I mean, I knew I was dreaming, but…you know, some part of me wouldn't mind that being real you know?" I smiled into the phone.

"Who was laughing?"

I blinked again, "I told you. A little girl was laughing…I saw her…it was..." again I let my voice trail off.

"Who was it?"

"Rosie." I answered softly and I heard Rube take a breath.

"How were you dreaming of her?" He asked with a pain in his voice.

"It wasn't your Rosie. It was…She was…ours. Yours and mine." I fought to get it out. Why had I said something?

"Ours? Like…our daughter?"

I nodded stupidly into the phone and paused when I realized he couldn't see me, "yeah."

He was quiet for a moment as I held my breath and waited for he inevitable hang up followed by my staring at the phone knowing I'd just done the dumbest thing ever, "Was she…she was yours and mine?"

Again I nodded stupidly into the phone but smiled, "she was gorgeous, Rube. But that's hardly the point of it…apparently I had been sick and the whole...dead, reaper thing was a dream from a fever. Can't say I wasn't a little upset to wake up."

"Yeah, I understand that one. So…you dreamed we were married and…had a daughter?"

I paused; normally Rube would never question anything like that. Typically there would be a noncommittal nod or grunt or something and that'd be that. Maybe the mentioning of marriage had him rattled. Hell, it had me rattled.

"I…yeah I did. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah…crazy. But it wasn't bad, was it?" Rube asked and I heard a twinge of perhaps…hope in his voice?

"No, not at all. Like I said, I didn't want to wake up."

"I miss you like crazy, Ros."

"I miss you too. So how're things? Is everything going okay?"

"You ask me that every day. Everything's fine, I promise."

I smiled, "good. Look, I didn't mean to bug you. I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to sleep."

"How're you doing? Anything, you know, bad?"

I stopped and chewed on my lower lip. I was hurting pretty bad from the last couple of days, but nothing too serious and aside from the dreams nothing too big was eating at my psyche. All in all I think I was handling being away from home pretty well considering the fact that I was being abused pretty hard, "I'm fine."

"You're lying to me."

"I am not! I'm just tired is all."

"Sure…"

"I mean it. After that…dream…I'm ready to crash for a good seven or so hours. Thank god I don't have a regular nine to five otherwise I'd be dead…again." I smiled and leaned the back of my head against the headboard.

"I'll let you sleep."

"I miss you, Rube." I admitted quickly, amazed that my voice sounded wavy and…daresay, frightened?

"I miss you too. Is everything okay?"

"It is. I just…I wish I were home."

"I do too."

"I'll call you tomorrow." Again my voice was wavy and unsure sounding.

"Call in the morning if you need me."

"I will."

"Bye, Ros."

"Bye." I hung up and stared at the phone for a long time.

Rube and I were never one for long conversations when we weren't in close proximity with each other. I think it's because it's a reminder that we're so far apart, but I think on some level it's because it just reinforces what we feel. Honestly until I was away for so long then came back did it really hit me that I was really in love with that man. I loved him more than anything and whatever was screwing with me was playing that angle on my mind. I wasn't going to let it get to me. I WAS going to make it home and everything was going to work out, so help me god.

OPOV

Rosslyn woke with start in the freezing cold flat. She'd fallen asleep shortly after her phone call with Rube and came to with the knowledge that she wasn't in England for a vacation. There was a job to be done and a soul to be reaped and it was clawing at her like a tiger hyped up on steroids that had been deprived meat for a month. Fuck if it wasn't close. She hated close. She hated that feeling that something was about to happen. It wasn't the happening though, it was the waiting to happen.

She tossed on a pair of black pants and a warm sweater. Ah, English Spring…filled with rain, more rain, some more rain and cold. She wound her hair into a braid and slid it under her shirt. God knows how many times she'd been yanked around by her hair. It hurt and she didn't want to have to go through any more unnecessary pain than she had to. It was still freezing in the room even though she had been sure the heat had been on all night. Maybe it was a draft or something, but a chill slithered up her spine and made her reach for the familiar leather jacket that always rest on the chair beside the bed.

Rosslyn's hands worked slowly over the well worn leather and she pressed the collar to her face and took in the soothing scent. It was Rube through and through: his cologne, the scent of the jacket after so many years of use and just…him. His essence was locked into the confines of that jacket and she smiled as she slid her arms into it. It seemed to warm at her touch and if she closed her eyes she could feel Rube standing tall and proud behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. It gave her strength to go out.

With a slightly breathy murmur she grabbed keys and everything else she would need. Granted, if she was lying on a street bleeding for any amount of time she wouldn't probably need them but in the off chance that nothing too bad happened she slid them into her pocket anyway. The stairs creaked underfoot as she clamored down to the main door of the building and stopped as she caught sight of the landlord. He was a sweet old man who seemed to take a liking to her and in her heart she felt the reason why she stayed around to do what she did. It was for the souls who stayed around more than anything so that when they died they would know there was a better place without fear that a disjointed monster would tell them otherwise. She knew, she'd seen it happen before.

The streets were wet and crowded: just how they liked it. Rosslyn shivered as a gust of wind seemed to chill her to the very bone. She was going to get sick, she just knew it. As she passed a long alleyway she felt the tug on her mind again and she turned. A headache exploded and she'd found her mark. Ah yes, an explosive beginning to an undoubtedly interesting day.

ROPOV

I barely made it back to the flat without falling on some poor innocent living person. Well, I managed not to land on them anyway. I probably looked like some abuse victim, and I was to a certain extent, only instead of bruises I had nice chunks of me missing and blood was everywhere. That guy had been a handful, even for me. What with the…clawing and grabbing and ripping, I'd go as far as to say he was a real pain in the ass.

I tossed Rube's jacket carefully onto the chair beside the bed. Even as torn up as I was I had made sure no harm had come to it since I'd gotten there. I did plan on giving it back eventually. The room was warm again, thank god. I'm pretty sure the landlord had worked some kind of magic and pumped hot air into the room, but I wasn't about to complain. All that wonderful British cold teamed with blood loss had left me shaking, praying for any kind of warmth.

A bath called to me and as I drew the warm, steamy water and poured in the soap my mind wandered back to the so many times I'd had to soak in the tub at Rube's apartment. Ever the clear as crystal water was always tainted with the crimson of my blood and Rube never batted an eye as I stained the tile and glass. I stared down into the tub's depths and pondered that for the longest time. How many times had he had to pull the torn and bloodied clothes from my back and put me into the soothing water, yet I wouldn't consider sleeping with him? Surely he knew…me, well, the physical aspects anyway. I mean, how many times had I gone to him in worse shape than I was now?

I peeled the stained clothing off and tossed them to the tile floor, taking care to inspect the still bleeding holes just underneath my rib cage. Nothing was broken thankfully, but it hurt like a bitch nonetheless. I stared at my reflection for a while, taking in how pale and drawn I looked. Then again, being in England did that to you even if you came with a tan and bikini-ready body. I sighed and wrapped one of the thin, scratchy towels around me as I sat on the edge of the tub and waited out the long and painful process of the water to fill.

At least the foamy bath was blessedly warm when I eased myself down into it. The wince that accompanied hot water on top of angry wounds followed that but it was well worth the sting. Soon enough I would be clean, warm and hopefully clotted. I closed my eyes and reclined against the porcelain, head resting on a wash cloth. The steam made me sleepy, and I sighed a little. No matter where I was anymore I felt the inexplicable urge to sleep but had no ability when I lay down to actually accomplish it. It was most aggravating.

The sound of my phone jolted me awake. I'd fallen asleep and was free of any kind of weird dreams. Actually on some level, I think I was angry that I'd been woken up even though the bathwater was freezing and tinted a lovely shade of red. I pulled myself out and wrapped a towel around myself in order to go inspect who'd be calling me. It wasn't Rube, he probably had a reap, and it wasn't…anyone else because he was the only person who ever called me. So who in the fuck was it?

I flipped the phone open and looked down at the caller ID. It was definitely a Seattle number, but not Rube's. Curious, eh?

"Hello?"

"Rosslyn…" A tear filled voice asked quietly and my heart slammed into my chest. I knew that voice. I'd never heard that voice speak in a tone like that, but I knew that voice. Georgia.

"George? What's wrong? What's going on? Are you okay?" I asked, pressing the phone closer to my ear and bit at my lip as I heard her break out in sobs. I knew I never should have left.

"I…woke up and…I saw them together. I thought he hated her and oh my god, Rosslyn I don't know what happened. They were in bed…I think the slept together. What did I do? I don't know what's going on… I just thought he was…" she sobbed almost incoherently into the phone and I leaned an arm on the table to steady myself from the sudden onslaught of emotion radiating apparent thousands of miles to hit me all at one.

"Calm down, Georgia. Just calm down, alright? Tell me what happened." I was trying to reassure her even though I had no ideas what the fuck was going on.

"I…I woke up this morning and I found…I found..." George started to cry again and I felt my heart twist. Oh god, no…please tell me it wasn't what I thought it was.

"What did you find?"

"Mason…and Daisy." She answered almost deadpan and my heart sank.

"What? Doing what? It's okay, take all the time you need." I tried to offer any kind of comfort but my eyes too were brimming with tears. Mason, that idiot, what had he done?

I heard her take a breath, "They were in her bed together and I'm willing to bet they had sex."

I paused and bit back the urge to scream and find a plane ticket back right then and there, "You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not."

"Okay, listen to me, honey. Just don't let this get to you, okay? I'm sure it's…not as bad as it looks. Talk to Mason. He wouldn't lie to you and if he says they didn't do anything then believe him." I was reasoning even though I knew she wouldn't talk to him. Shit, I was a woman and if that'd happened to me I'd be pissed off and never want to see the guy again! But not George and Mason…no, not them. It just wasn't possible.

"They were in bed naked together. How should I take it when he explains that one?"

"You have every right to be really hurt and angry, but you need to get the facts first. Talk to him, okay?" I offered, shaking my head.

"What about Daisy?"

I was suddenly angry and took a moment to contemplate this. Obviously girl had problems and she didn't need to be there fucking with George and Mason who actually had something semi-normal, "throw her sorry ass out."

"Ha, can do."

After I hung up with her I sat down on the bed and stared indirectly at the floor. Mason? Of all people? What the fuck was he thinking! And with _Daisy_? He hated her. I fought down the urge to hurl my phone across the room. Well, I'd asked for it right? I'd told them to call at the first sign or trouble, hadn't I? And now I'd gotten what I wanted and was paying the price of being across an ocean while my friends were going through hell. But what was I supposed to? Was I supposed to call Rube and tell him? Should I wait until I got back?_ That's too damn long._ I sighed and put my head in my hands. Suddenly the physical ailments weren't so painful anymore.

My heart went out to George. I mean, I'd been dumped on before. Well, I mean that in an 'I kind of dated as much as a lifeless body can date' when I was alive kind of way. Needless to say, the nice young British lords weren't exactly hopping up and down to slide a pretty ring on my finger. And even though I wasn't exactly capable of feeling much of anything it was still a bitch to see a guy actually shrink away from me because I wasn't 'adequate for marriage'. I didn't even love any of them so to have to hear that Mason did that, and that he did love George or so he said, was a pain to me that I'd never even felt myself.

"Fucker." I murmured and went to drain the bathwater.

OPOV

The buzzing phone woke Rosslyn from a blissful dreamless sleep. She winced and lifted a shaky hand to grab it off the table. She was still torn up pretty good from the day(s) before and it took a good few minutes of convincing to get her arm to move. The pulsing phone shook in her already sore arm and as one hazel eye peeked open to read the screen she sighed. A text message from an unidentified number lit up the screen and that mean Management. You had to love technology and all the wonders it gave Death. Not only was death out to take you, but it had the power to call and wake you up from a sound sleep from your cell phone. Kind of funny, eh?

_Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Park  
2:30 pm_

Rosslyn sighed again rubbed a hand over her face. It was early. It was always early when they decided to inform her of the day's plans. Then again, there wasn't an ETD or anything on this one so there was the chance that it was going to be something other than a reap. She sat up and gasped at the pain shooting up through her body. Yep, it was definitely the day after a reap. But there was the potential that she'd be off for the day. _Fuck yes._


	27. You Get That Memo?

Chapter 26: You Get That Memo?

Rosslyn POV

I wrapped the jacket around me closer as I wound my way through the groups of people that filled the warm gallery. Soft light filled the room along the walls as throes of people passed through to gaze at the new collection that lined the hallways. I smiled to myself as I moved beside an older woman sitting on a bench; she smiled up at me and I nodded my head.

It wasn't quite two thirty, thankfully so I had some time to warm up a bit before my appointment. I did love galleries and museums, especially European ones. Everything from the lighting to the complimentary coffee and cookies was soft and elegant and filled me up with warmth. Things seemed amazing on a day that I didn't have to work. All days that I didn't have to work seemed amazing. The only thing that bothered me was the pit in my stomach that I'd had since I'd gotten that text message from Management.

Normally they were sticklers about secrecy and all that crap, you know, leaving anonymous packages and letters to make it seem like death really was coming for you. Not to say I blame them because hell, it's Management and not even us reapers want to know what they're like. It was an unspoken thing that those of the higher up just didn't deal with the likes of us, especially my kind. Then again, souls don't care who comes to take them after they've come to realization that they're dead so why should we, as we are in fact dead. But in any case…

My fingers burned from the cold and I gratefully accepted the free Styrofoam cup of coffee from one of the vendors. It was warm and I was thankful for it. The scent was deep, rich and dark amongst the crush of perfumes, colognes, cleaning solutions and paint that filled the gallery. Yes, this was going to be an interesting day. Suddenly I felt that nagging ache that someone is staring at you from behind. You know the one: someone's eyes are locked on you and you can feel their gaze boring a hole through your head.

I turned around, expecting to see something like a guy dressed in a nice suit that would greet me to my possible final destination, but was met with what I thought to be a little cliché. Two hooded and robed figures stood side by side a painting. Their cloaks were of the deepest black I'd ever seen and they had, what appeared to be, scythes in hand. I swallowed hard, feeling my body start to shake. Oh yeah, it was final destination time all right. They stared out, the rest of the crowd not taking any notice of their presence. Death had that kind of ability: to go unnoticed until the right moment.

The knowledge that I had to get up and follow them dropped into my mind. I hated that. I mean, death uses Post-Its for god's sake to hunt down souls, but if they want something they can just slip that bit of info into our minds? Why not just do that all the time? I took a sip of the coffee and stood up slowly, trying not to look like I was scared. There was nothing to be scared of, right? If anything it would be a place where I'd be happy for eternity and I wouldn't have to worry about getting ripped to shreds on a regular basis. What could be better than that? _Rube…_ I paused mid-step and squeezed my eyes shut. No. Don't think like that.

I neared the two forms and dropped my gaze away from the seemingly empty hoods of the cloaks. My body was shaking from fear and sudden cold as I shifted my weight nervously from foot to foot. Sadly there was no distinction of who they were. The cloaks were too big to tell sex and even if they weren't the faces were completely blank as if the heavy woolen material was being held up by air.

"Rosslyn L'Anders." Came a voice shrouded in whispers. Not even their voice gave away anything.

I looked up and nodded. They two exchanged what I would have imagined to be a look, if they'd had any eyes to look through, and held out a manila folder to me. I took it with a shaky hand and nodded again, more furiously this time. Was this my benefits package? Would I get free dental in the Great Whatever?

"Everything you need is enclosed. Thank you for your services in the past years." The same whispered voice said.

"I…no, thank you. I think." I tried to smile and play if off, turning to go, but a gloved hand grabbed my arm.

"This will be the hardest thing you ever do. Take heart in the fact that you have those that love you to aid you in this. It is a rare thing, to find love."

I nodded again, "Yes, yes it is. So...when?" I asked.

The two turned to each other again, exchanging another would-be look, "It is all in there. And, we do not say this very much at all, be very careful. We do not want to see you lost."

I blinked, "what?"

"This very well may…end your afterlife if you are not careful. And we…do not wish to lose your talents."

Tears gathered in my eyes. _I'm not being…passed on…I get to stay._ And I smiled again, this time meaning it, "Read carefully over everything in there, Rosslyn. It is all very important."

OPOV

"Hey where's Kiffany today?" George asked as she slid into the vinyl booth across from her boss.

"Dunno."

George nodded and looked down at the menu. It was always Kiffany that started their days off with some kind of warm and semi normal scenario and that was an important thing for a grim reaper. Straying for the formula always ended with something getting fucked up and no one wanted that. Still, Kiffany had been gone for a while and it seemed like some cause for concern that their favorite waitress was MIA.

Rube watched George pluck at the sleeves of her suit nervously as she eyed the glass doors. Any moment Mason would come in, they'd avoid each other and he'd wait for the Post-It for the day. This was beginning to get annoying: all this people being pissed off at each other crap. And even Roxy had taken to just getting her reap assignment and leaving. Rube rolled his eyes and stared down at his coffee.

"You okay, Peanut?" he asked.

George looked up, "huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"No you're not."

She bit at her lip, "no…no, I'm not."

Rube reached out a hand and rested it on her arm, "good things come to those who wait. Everything will work itself out."

She nodded, "thanks."


	28. Best You Get

Chapter 27: Best You Get

OPOV

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, actually it was a really cold and drizzle filled night but it may as well have been dark and stormy as far as Roxy was concerned. There had been more car accidents than she wanted to think about and she was dead (pardon the pun) tired from it all.

She pulled into the garage of the apartment and leaned back against the seat of the car, eyes closed, and hands still on the wheel and the engine running. It was too damn late to have to get up so damn early. There was no way in hell she'd be able to pull off waking up at five tomorrow morning considering it was one now and she hadn't even made it up the stairs yet.

As Roxy managed to make it up the stairs something on the door caught her eye. It was white, rectangular and there was a rose with it. _Shit._ She pause and cast a glance around the area to make sure no one was standing in a corner because that meant only one thing: William. She neared the door and pulled the envelope to her and quickly pulled out her keys. No scary voice came out from behind her and no knife managed to come flying out so she opened the door as fast as she could, walked in, and shut and locked the door behind her.

She leaned against the door and ripped open the envelope and started to read, her eyebrows cocking the further she read:  
_Roxy:  
I had no right to act the way I acted and there's no way for me to tell you how sorry I am. Please be assured that I've gotten some help and I'd really like to try and show you that I'm going to be all right and different. After what happened I finally realized I needed help and I want to thank you for being the one to show it to me because…I think I'm in love with you, Roxy. I'm sorry, so very sorry and I'd appreciate it so much if maybe we could get together and talk. Just talk. I'm not going to ask any more than that. Please?  
William_

ROPOV

I made it back to flat in about half the time it took me to walk to the gallery. There was something different once I'd gone: a change in me I couldn't place. It was nice to know they didn't send me out here just to change me out. Then again, apparently there was the chance that it might happen when I go home and that made me a little nervous.

I sat down at the small table with a mug of coffee and rested my head on my arms. To think that soon enough I'd be getting back home after what seemed like an eternity here in the place where I was born. I'd avoided this place as much as I could when I was younger, and even now I had issues with being here. My eyes moved to look down at the paperwork I'd gotten and instantly I felt a pang of regret that I didn't even make it a point while I was here to maybe see if I had any kind of family line left since, well, the dreams and all were giving me hints toward family. Then again, if I did manage to have any family left they'd probably be under about twenty new names and any kind of family history we had was probably long since dead. As is the problem with time.

I picked up the envelope and looked at the very nondescript handwriting on the front. Death was androgynous as well as very neat. To think that I was favored at least a little bit by death was interesting to say the least…but to have one of them say they didn't want to lose my "talent". Yes, because my fucking talent is to get the shit beaten out of me so some poor soul doesn't get gypped out of a nice afterlife. Well, whatever floats their boat I suppose.

The envelope was thick, probably filled with page after page of why I have to do what I have to do. Destiny in all of its amazing glory was calling on me to fulfill whatever it was that needed to come to pass because I, unlike the rest of the reapers in the world, could take a beating like no other. To be honest as I held up the envelope I could feel my heartbeat quicken just a little. Inside was the opportunity to go home and perhaps make the life I should have had back, and I winced at this thought, a century ago.

I ripped open the flap convincing myself it was like the Band Aid theory that if you just rip it the pain won't be as bad as just pulling little by little. Inside there was indeed a nice stack of paper along with a fat roll of bills that would "aid" me in my travel if need be. I smiled to myself and pulled out the money, weighing it in my hands before I put it down on the table and took a long swig of the now lukewarm coffee that sat beside me. The papers were covered in small font type spanning the length of most of the page, but some were in the same nondescript handwriting and seemed to be of a little more importance than the type. I picked up the first page in the stapled pile and lifted my coffee mug to my face as I read.  
_The following is a complete report on your next assignment. There is a good bit of background information you must go through before we feel that you should even attempt this. Your assignment is aware that reapers exist, even if he believes it to be a delusion. The knowledge will and has slowly driven him insane and he will come to violence before there is a chance of us being able to get to him. His soul was lost years ago but the evidence was hidden under a constant state of paranoia that we seemed to dismiss as the natural progression of some living souls. Typically, this wouldn't be a problem for any of your specialty because you're used to the type of work, but in this case there is a factor involved that may cause problems for those without your…experience. We feel that this is a very dangerous assignment and have given it to you for the fact that you are the only reaper that has had the collective experience to make it work. Enclosed is every bit of information on his person along with the name, date, place, and ETD. Be wary of his actions because once he knows you're after him he'll stop at nothing to keep you at bay…even if that means killing another person._

I blinked and put down the stack of paper and looked into my coffee mug. This was not going to be the coming home trip I had envisioned at all. Not only was there an apparent death-aware psychopath on the loose, but I was the only person outside of Management who had the ability to take care of things. Way to pile on the pressure, huh?

Before picking the pile back up I rinsed out the coffee mug and instead opted for a gin and tonic that would fit inside a Big Gulp cup. The scent of gin filled my nose as I took a pull and winced. _Fucking cheap gin._ I shivered and fought against coughing as the taste of pine needles made their way down my throat and proceeded to make my stomach feel like Christmas.

MPOV

I slid the door open to the house and peered carefully into the living room. It was dark, thank god, which meant George was probably upstairs and hopefully asleep. Fuck if things around the house haven't sucked since…well, we all know. George refuses to talk to me, and I fucking well know it, but Christ if she just…with those eyes and that face…it breaks my fucking heart. Why does she have to look at me like I just completely destroyed everything? _Oh wait…I did._

My hands shook as I neared the stairs and looks up at the darkness that would be her room. She'd be on her stomach with one leg nearly propped up and I would smile and shake my head before leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. Well, I would if I hadn't been banished to the couch. The couch was like a fucking reminder every day that I screwed up. And there was a nice bottle of vodka (full mind you) along with a shot glass on the coffee table to better remind of why exactly I was there.

I shook my head and turned around, heading toward that damn couch and sat down on it. I couldn't blame her for this. I had done the most fucking unbelievable thing in the world and she had every right to be mad, nay, furious at me. I was just pissed at myself.

A shower could wait until she was gone the next morning and I had free reign over the house until she got home. I changed out of my clothes and pulled a blanket over my head, willing the world to just go away. It had been almost a week since it happened and things weren't getting any easier. Maybe Rube was right and the idea of finding the one single fucking person in the world you could love after you're dead was impossible. _No. I love her. That's it; plain and simple. I'll just have to…get her to talk to me._


End file.
